brianblackberry

Well it is finally that time of the year again! A new season of the show we love, Friendship Is Magic, is finally upon us! So here is the official discussion thread for the first two episodes, which are a two parter: Princess Twilight Sparkle. This time we are doing things a little different, the thread is open from the beginning instead of time locked to the episode. Also, spoilers and screenshots are welcome, however we ask that they be under the 'Spoiler' tags. So let's discuss! It's good to be the boss!

This is part of the result of the Internet forgetting what a Mary Sue actually is supposed to be in lieu of creating a vague and broad definition, with the intent of shoehorning in any character into the motif that they do not particularly care for. This is especially true when it comes to fan made characters. OC have one or more positive traits? Well that's a Sue. Make them too negative though, then its an "Anti-Sue", which is seen as just as bad. People warp what Mary Sue means in order to justify their own subjective dislike for a character to justify their claim there is something objectively wrong with said character. This isn't an FIM or Brony fandom only phenomenon, but a general geek fandom issue. If one is involved enough in Furry, Anime, Gaming, Pokemon, etc, etc. fandoms, one will find this exact same issue in regards to "fan celebrities" or even fandom folks with some fair amount of popularity. There are many reasons why this sort of thing happens. Partially it depends on how the popular member responds towards their new found fame. Every fandom has its cliques and elitism where some people will suddenly have their new in-fandom fame go to their heads, becoming elitist in their association and having a level of disdain towards "the fanboys", which is viewed as anyone who may be a fan who is not part of their clique. This really rustles the jimmies of the Internet, especially given that fandom stars are often riding on the coattails of actual creators of the show or game they are a fan of (this is much less true in Furry, as most content is original, but famous people can still easily morph into giant elitist jerks). That all being said, many fandom famous folks are quite decent, friendly, and appreciative but may still get the hate from various corners of the fandom. Why? Well you already nailed it: Jealousy. People don't like it when others manage to get fame (and money) for what they probably do just for fun. Here is a now fan famous persona, making content they love on their own time, being their own boss, setting their own prices, and people are willing to buy; its a small dream being realized. Well for others who simply do not have the talent, or fail to utilize their own, they sometimes simply get jealous that they are not receiving the accolades. Of course they could try and change that, but it is easier and costs a lot less effort to lash out.

If it helps, most event will focus on the "Slice of Life" or relaxed magical adventure side of things; I would view this event as a testbed or work in progress in how such action/adventure events or stories would do, it's a learning process, none that can always use feedback.

I saw Luna in her first season form as Luna before her magic fully returned to her after she was freed, hence why she was darker and her mane ethereal in season two.

I enjoy playing Flitter and I had to build her personality from scratch.

Carrot Fields Carrot Fields felt like an humilated young colt, as if he was back in school and he tripped over his own hooves, causing him to fall on his face with all his books and papers spilling out on the floor before him, right in front of all the fillies; it was the closest analogy he could think of to his current situation. The matter certainly wasn't helped by his little sister scolding him as if he was a little foal, even if she was right to be upset, it was still an accident! He apologized as he tried to explain himself to his sister, dropping all attempts to make himself more understandable to the local ponies, "AIt was an accident, Ah jist wanted tae offer some ay yer wonderfully delicioos cake tae Dash an' Rarity. Ah didne pure techt tae trip! sorry... jist, Ah guess Ah am jist a pure big klutz fa jist is bad at talkin' tae th' mares." As guilty as he felt in regards to his sister, it wasn't half as much as he felt towards Applejack. In one brief moment, he managed to mess up the centerpiece gift the orange mare got for her sister's birthday; a birthday Carrot Fields now felt he had no business being at anyway. "Aam sorry Applejack, 'at was stupid ay me." He'd offer to clean it up, but he probably end up making even a bigger mess. "If ye need onie part fixed ur replaced, i'll be sure tae pay fur it. Woods ye loch me tae leave? Ur Ah coods help clean them!" He just gave an awkward, embarrassed smile. Could you blame her if she did tell you to go, you Dumbtail? Cheerilee Cheerilee simply smiled as Applebloom guessed incorrectly what the gift may be. This was a good thing, as it made the surprise all the better when the gift was revealed. Applebloom's reaction didn't disappoint either once the little farm filly discovered what her present was. Cheerilee gave Abby a hug back, "happy birthday Applebloom, I hope the compass really helps with you and your friends' crusading." She didn't want Sweetie Belle to feel bad though for giving Applebloom a similar gift, "come to think of it, you could keep one compass in your clubhouse and one with you on adventures. Orrr take both with you in case one of you got lost, that way it be easier to find your way home." Of course, that idea would only make perfect sense with three compasses. Well at least that meant she knew what to get for the next birthday among the trio.

Martini Paradise As Martini stood on her haunches and slowly worked Misty Morning's back with her forehooves, she smiled as the Wonderbolt crooned approvingly at her massage skills, "glad I could help here hon. To be honest, I wasn't sure how good I'd really be, I've never done this formally, or had any actual training". She has given massages before, for one reason or another, but it was always an informal or intimate situation and it had honestly been years, Martini was surprised that her massaging skills had not gone rusty with time, either that or any relief the pegasus mare got for her achy back was good right now. The bar mare laughed when Misty asked about the price of her massage services along with the rooms. "Well as I mentioned a few times to your fellow pegasai, tonight the rooms are free, courtesy of Ponyland! It's for all that you brave flyers did in combating that terrible storm that came out of the Everfree." Martini thought for a moment and snickered playfully, "I guess that means the massage is free too, although I wouldn't have charged ya anyways." Martini looked up as she continued to kneed at the Wonderbolt's back with her hooves, it was well into the wee hours of the morning! Soon Celestia's sun would rise above the horizon, which meant one thing, "alright ponies, I doubt if anyone is still awake enough for anymore drinks but I still gotta say it! 'Last Call!' " At this point, Martini was sure the remaining ponies were much more interested in sleep than wetting their whistles. Flitter Flitter smiled wearily at Cloudchaser; it was clear the bow wearing pegasai mare was feeling the post-cider hangover and her once flirty, giggly demeanor had quickly mellowed out to hazy exhaustion. That and thirst, as she reached over and poured herself a small glade of cold water. "Ooogh, I think I went a bit too far with the apple ciders Cloudy hon…" Hopefully she didn't act like a total mule earlier. Cloudchaser appeared to be in good spirits, so that was a good sign that things were alright.. Well, usually, and that is what Flitter was going to go with in her mind as she was simply too tired to actually inquire. "Cloudy hon, I think I'm..uhh ready to lay down now…" Flitter slowly stood up and walked, well more stumbled towards the back and into the same room her and Cloudchaser had talked in earlier with only one thing on her mind… Sleep. *Exit Flitter*

Trixie was caught quite off guard by Twilight and her "escort" when they appeared in front of her, surrounding the trio in some sort of mist. It seemed the lavender mare had more spirit then Trixie gave her credit for, as she appeared to be determined to have the last word. That admiration by Trixie was mixed with incredulousness when Twilight demanded that Trixie be apologetic and demur towards the royal guard. Trixie had learned to apologize, as hard as it can be, whenever she was clearly in the wrong or done something awful, like with the Alicorn Amulet, but this wasn't one of those times! With a bemused expression on Trixie's face she rolled her eyes, "oh, so it is like that between you two is it? Trixie suspected as much!" Truth was, Trixie had no real idea about any feelings the orange pegasus may have or vise versa, but it was a fun thought to tease with none the less. As amused as the azure unicorn may have been, she was also disturbed by Twilight's demanding attitude. The purple alicorn may be indeed the best at magic, but she still had a lot to learn about the responsibilities and required maturity that went with her new title. "So Twilight Sparkle, the observant and astute Trixie sees you still have yet to learn how to handle the responsibility of being a princess by your authoritarian demands." Trixie looked Twilight directly in the eyes, not even flinging as Twilight dragged her in closer, she knew who was right! "Look at you now, using force to illicit an apology, would princess Celestia use such an bullying attempt upon her subjects such as this? You may indeed be my magical better, but you have so much to learn when it comes to royalty!" Trixie smiled with confidence, believing in her own repartee, "there is no law, no rule, that demands that ponies must has to humbly defer honor and respect to the REA! How dare you believe as a princess that you can create a new law on the spot! What would your mentor and guide say about such presumption as to create new laws on the spot such as this?! Tsk, tsk, still so much to learn still… princess Twilight Sparkle!" Trixie's own horn glowed a bright purple, she did have one other new spell she learned on her many adventures in such of tomes and magical knowledge with Whooves, teleportation! "Until we meet again my beloved royal highness." With that, a bright purple flash surrounded Trixie for an instant as she winked out of view. She was surrounded in a blue smoke, and felt the world disappear around her ... then hard earth was under her hooves once more, and she was struck with a terrible weariness. "Haha!" she crowed weakly, "The great and powerful Trixie has escap-" she paused, looked around... she'd moved a total of fifteen feet away... maybe ... she turned and took to her hooves, fighting the weariness to flee into the dense woods, leaving an large obscuring blue cloud of magic dust behind her to cover her trail, along with two baskets of apples she needed for the journey ahead. No escape needs to be perfect, it just needs to work. ((Trixie exits))

Trixie was about to enjoy the fact she successfully challenged the princess when Twilight quipped that the greatest showmare in Equestria was both immature and poor at magic! Why that unbearable, entitled little pony!! Trixie worked really hard on her skills, but how could anypony elevated to alicorn status possibly understand! Actually what really agitated the azure colored unicorn wasn't that comment, it wasn't even the kiss Twilight gave to Applejack, which Trixie judged in her mind as pretty good and made her just a little curious about what it be like to kiss Twilight… Just a little. No, what really made Trixie angry was the idea that she was a cheapskate! "now hold on right there Trust Fund Twilight! Trixie will pay for her bushels herself and she won't be using the stipends a certain pony gets from Canterlot on the backs of hard working taxpayers! No, the Diligent and Generous Trixie worked hard for her bits and does not need charity from the golden filly!" With her magic Trixie levitated out two small bags of bits, lifted Applejacks hat, turning it upside down dropped the two bags inside before popping it back on the orange mare's head. "No if you excuse me, I will be taking these two bushels and wishing you a good day yer hiiiighness, humph!" As Trixie began to walk away with her nose high in the air, two bushels of apples floating behind her, a large, bright flash of her horn caused the spheroid barrier to dissolve, just as Flash Sentry was barreling in for another attempt at cracking it, exposing the rapidly approaching open ground to the nose diving royal guard. She could have let the orange pegasus crash into the dirt, and for a brief moment Trixie considered that, but no, that may have been the way she was once upon a time, but not anymore. With one last flash of her horn, Trixie encased Twilight's escort in a small bubble, stopping his decent and floating him over next to Twilight, a few feet above ground before dissolving it, allowing the pegasus to flop to the ground, or float down if he reacted quick enough. "There, princess! No one can ever say the Great and Kind Trixie doesn't have a heart! Trixie has made sure your little colt toy didn't hurt himself. Consider it a prize reward for kissing so well; too bad he missed it, sure you can make it up to him later." Trixie gave a sarcastic grin and trotted away from the crowd, assured of her victory, as soon as she figures out what it was.

The arrogance! The pomposity! Just because one was a princess doesn’t mean one could be utterly dismissive when being spoken to! “Twilight Sparkle! How could you openly and purposely ignore the Great and Powerful Trixie in such an uncouth manner!! A true princess would have the grace and majesty to listen when one of her subjects spoke! Tsk, tsk, you have so much to learn…” Trixie looked about, the problem was there were so many distracting individuals, but that can be remedied, “now watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie educates you!” With a bright purple glow of her horn, Trixie formed a lilac colored bubble around herself, Applejack, and Twilight, slicing right between the lavender princess and her pegasus guard. “There! No more distractions!” Trixie couldn’t help but wonder if Twilight was surprised that she learned such spell. “Now Twilight Sparkle, the Great and Passionate Trixie had challenged you so please do try and pay attention, and do not worry, there is no amulet, no tricks this time! No pony will be in any danger, quite the opposite actually!” With a confident and wry smile Trixie pointed her forehoof at her self-styled rival, “now as Trixie said before, she dares you to do better than this!” And with that, Trixie reached out to grab Applejack again. "Don't worry," she said, "I won't charge you extra bushels for these passionate kisses... consider them a generous tip!" Then she took Applejack and dipped her back once more, one hoof supporting the earth pony's head, horn glowing to send up little fireworks as her mouth reached Applejack's in a passionate kiss, sparks literally flying from the touch of their lips, surrounding them in a tingling glow showing the light of their love.

Whoops, nevermind, should have refreshed before posting. Is what I get for being slow.

I'd like one for Matini Paradise if that is possible.

I think Meghan McCarthy is a great writer and a great asset to the franchise even if she did write Equesrtia Girls; the latter I suspect was poorly done thanks to extensive rewriting oversight through excessive executive meddling. I don't hate Equestria Giles, although in the EQ thread here, I did cover what I felt were the myriad of issues with the movie. It isn't well done but it doesn't actually earn "hate" from me, stuff like NSA spying earns hate, not poorly done cartoon movies, even for one of my favorite franchises. Perspective. I dislike the "Down With Molestia" movement from a month ago. Although I understand the original person's reasons, that promotion of rape culture is a real and systematic problem In America and is a very bad thing, I don't feel that blog does that. Worse, why wasn't this brought up two years ago when the blog was nothing but Princess Molestia jokes and instead now where it is at least half "Gamer Luna"? Well a lot of that has to do with many bloggers simply being "white nights" for the person who started this, others I feel do it because they just dislike people becoming fandom celebrities and popular (when it's not them of course). I also strongly suspect that almost none of these people actually do anything useful to combat rape culture and abuse, like donate time or money to women's centers, or work to make sure law enforcement and politicians understand the actual issue of rape. Why do that when you can white night from your keyboard on Tumblr. That brings me to another aspect of the fandom I dislike, people ripping on popular works because I suspect, simply they are popular. I feel a lot of hate towards Fallout Equestia and Princess Molestia Blog isn't out of sincere creative criticism, but from people who believe they are more talented and thus are jealous when others have the spotlight, and not them (even though they so deserve that spotlight),but they won't put their money where their mouth is and make something better or at least try to by creative arts or stories and so forth, no, instead they complain on the Internet. It takes no effort.

If I had to go my the video game overall that I have played the most, it would be Mass Effect III - Multiplayer. According to my Bioware account, I have put in over a 1000 hours. Why? Well it started out as just being really fun to play, but it evolved into my exercise game, that is the game I play while biking. The reason why it serves this purpose is that I am so used to it, I find I bike the faster while playing (unlike other games where my focus on the game slows my biking). So while a 1000 hours may sound bad, it is also around a 1000 hours of exercise (which turned out great for me physically). Beyond that, i would say the most time I spend on a series of games over the years is the Civilization series on the PC.

For a moment Trixie sat there, mouth agape, with an incredulous look. Deep down she knew that Twilight Sparkle was right, she wasn't now an alicorn as a result of some spell, but because somehow she managed to create a new kind of magic that elevated her to royal status. It was admirable, but at the same time so very much infuriating. Trixie just wanted to show she could, on her own, just once be just as good as Twilight… Just as loved. In that moment of shock Trixie could have crumbled in despair, folding like so much cheap furniture from Twilight's bristling comment. The temptation to shrink back in shame just as she did after her awful actions with the Alicorn Amulet, and part of her, that voice of the scared little foal, told her to do just that… No! She was the Great and Powerful Trixie! Not some frightened foal! The azure unicorn stood proudly beck on all fours and gave a confident smile. "Perhaps you forget, but in your first encounter with the Great and Powerful Trixie, you nearly sprained your horn trying to show her up with your flashy rescue!" Trixie stepped closer, her smile became wry, "And in your second fortunate encounter with the Great and Powerful Trixie, you were unable to match up to her magically and needed to resort to trickery and deceit in order to win the day!" She blushed slightly in remembrance of her own dishonest action and rolled her eyes, "admittedly, that day hadn't been Trixie's proudest, and she was glad Twilight has rescued her from the amulet, but she was on a roll!" She wasn't finished with her retort though, not by a long shot! Since the princess was so curious about what Trixie had been up to, and who wouldn't be interested in the life of such a celebrity, the unicorn show mare was more more than happy to share. "And for your edification, yes! The Great and Powerful Trixie has been traveling the length and breadth of Equestria with a truly knowledgeable individual-" and Trixie would die if Whooves ever found out she'd said that - " and discovered secrets about this land that even the Princesses themselves have likely forgotten, if they ever knew in the first place! I have discovered dark creatures predating Equestria's founding, and vanquished them with style and panache, protecting the good ponies of the land with little thought of praise or reward!" Though, admittedly, a little praise and reward would be nice... nothing fancy, a medal, an award ceremony, perhaps a nice beachfront estate with a giant manorhouse... something modest. "You may have had good fortune with your fancy schooling! You may have been able to team up against Trixie so you could defeat her en masse! But despite your favored upbringing and unfair advantages, you still go straight for the 'win'! All the book-learning in Equestria cannot give you the suave style, the fantastic showponyship, or the unadulterated flare of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" And with that, she turned around, seized Applejack confidently, dipped her backwards, and kissed her soundly upon the lips in a classic and crowd-pleasing romantic movement, letting the kiss go on long and lingering, as little magical fireworks flew up into the air behind the two mares, sparkles shining from the kiss and a lovely blue heart-shaped aura surrounding the two. The moment only lasted for a few seconds, but that was all the time Trixie needed. She released the no-doubt twitterpated farmer mare and turned back to the undoubtedly speechless princess, "Trixie dares you to do better!"