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[SigmasonicX]

First of all, another edit from the season premiere. Click for the source, using super small embed to limit file size and because you can still get the gist. A reminder that you can adjust the size by going into the URL and, for Blogspot and Google User Content, adjusting the part that says "s150" or "s400" or whatever to a larger value. For Derpibooru images, you can change the "small" or "thumb" to "full".


Anyway, screencaps. For the first one, Meghan McCarthy revealed that rent is 50,000 bits a month. Second has a great Pinkie expression. Third has a cameo from Suri Polomare.

Gifs. First is apparently a reference to the Tom Hanks movie Big. Second showcases Maud's singing. Ignore the horrible typo.

Comic made before episode. It managed to predict correctly Maud getting confetti as a gift.

Two perfect gifts for Maud. First would be hard to bring with them. Text is small, so you should look at the full version for that. Second is a romantic swan boat ride. Also, there's generally a lot of art of Rarity in her Breakfast at Tiffany's dress, like this one.

Some detailed art already. Maudjestic, and Last Train Home.

New MrPoniator gif already

Deleted scenes are back! This one is pretty good. EDIT: Un-embeded so there's less to load.

And in a stunning twist, the Statue of Liberty pony is alive. The lines are too light for an embed to look good, I think.

EDIT: Egophiliac art!

 

[PaulloDEC]

Great roundup post as always Sigma!

Nice to see Ego posting new pony, too.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Rarity goes too far

And in official news, surprisingly good Discord toy coming from the Guardians of Harmony line. It's a statue like Celestia and Nightmare Moon.

 

[PaulloDEC]

And in official news, surprisingly good Discord toy coming from the Guardians of Harmony line. It's a statue like Celestia and Nightmare Moon.

That is a boss Discord figure. I'm loving this Guardians of Harmony line.

 

[SigmasonicX]

8. A Hearth's Warming Tail - May 14
Starlight Glimmer has a case of the holiday blues, so Twilight tries to help cure her by reading one of her favorite Hearth Warming's Eve stories, A Hearth's Warming Tale.

I expect that this will be like "Hearth's Warming Eve", with the characters playing roles within another story. Could be cute and/or cheesy as hell. Odd that we still don't have a description for "No Second Prances".

On another note, I'm passing on "Friends Forever" #27. The premise looks boring, people are saying it's just OK, and I'm not a fan of super cranky Granny Smith.

Season 5 DVD coming July 12

 

[Rhomega Beta]

I think A Hearth's Warming Tale will be their equivalent of A Christmas Carol, with Starlight in the Scrooge role.

 

[DrForester]

I think A Hearth's Warming Tale will be their equivalent of A Christmas Carol, with Starlight in the Scrooge role.

Long as Celestia/Luna/Cadance take the place of the three ghosts, I'll be happy.

 

[Fat4all]

I think A Hearth's Warming Tale will be their equivalent of A Christmas Carol, with Starlight in the Scrooge role.

I could dig it.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Long as Celestia/Luna/Cadance take the place of the three ghosts, I'll be happy.

I can imagine that well. Celestia as the bright Past, Cadence as Present, and the darkly-colored and cloaked Luna as the mysterious Future.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I think A Hearth's Warming Tale will be their equivalent of A Christmas Carol, with Starlight in the Scrooge role.

Long as Celestia/Luna/Cadance take the place of the three ghosts, I'll be happy.

I can imagine that well. Celestia as the bright Past, Cadence as Present, and the darkly-colored and cloaked Luna as the mysterious Future.

Yes, I will have all of this please.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Preview clip for On Your Marks

 

[DrForester]

I can imagine that well. Celestia as the bright Past, Cadence as Present, and the darkly-colored and cloaked Luna as the mysterious Future.

Luna obviously plays the Ghost of Christmas Future, but I'm torn on where Celestia and Cadance would be. Celestia fits the bright appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Past, but she also fills the large appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Future. I also think Cadance might be better suited to Ghost of Christmas Past since that's where Scrooge's lost love was.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Besides the princesses as the ghosts and Starlight as Scrooge, the rest could be:
Narrator - Twilight
Jacob Marley - Spike
Bob Cratchit - Applejack
Tiny Tim - Apple Bloom
Belle (former fiancee) - Sunburst (former friend)
And the other Main Six could play extras, such as the thieves from the vision of the future.

By the way, this reminded me of the Christmas album released late last year. The entire thing has been put online by Hasbro, for those who haven't listened to it.

Dave Polsky wrote "On Your Marks", airing this Saturday. Bets on in what way the episode will be controversial? I'll go with "the CMC resolve their conflict doing something that's very immoral and/or illegal once you think about it".

 

[Jay RaR]

Preview clip for On Your Marks

Spoiler

They really won't stop using Bulk Biceps huh? Wonder if he's a gag character or if he'll be a major character like Trouble Shoes.

ooh Dave Polsky is the writer. It'll be a 50/50 shot if I'll like it.

 

[draetenth]

Well, I found the episode to be pretty meh. I've never been a huge fan of the CMC and AB has always been my least favorite of the bunch so that didn't really help...

Don't really have much to say other than AB's reactions during the episode were pretty much the same ones she's had before when looking for cutie marks so it just felt like a rehash. She also seems to get really dense and oblivious when the plot requires it (like how she missed a colt without a cutie mark who was having issues when she spent most of the episode complaining about not being able to find such a pony). She also seems to have confidence issues as this isn't the first time she thought she would be left behind by the other two.

It was nice to see Bulk Biceps and other ponies going about their normal routine.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Yeah, this episode was just alright. Nothing controversial, but nothing too interesting either. There is nothing remarkable about the song itself, besides that I was reminded a bit of the start of "Your Friends are Always There for You", and I'd even say it's boring. For visuals, it was nice that Tree Hugger makes a cameo, and we see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being nice.

It seemed like the sole purpose of the episode was to show that yes, the CMC can do stuff on their own despite their cutie marks, but unlike the similar "Princess Twilight Sparkle" (in that it was meant to show that Twilight was still Twilight), they didn't really extract much out of the premise. That episode complicated things by also including "good Discord", so maybe they should have given Diamond Tiara a larger role, or moved the timeline forward to include Starlight.

It's interesting that this is the first episode that specifically takes place well before it aired, unless we are really meant to believe that the CMC waited several months to have a meeting.

This was a perfectly watchable episode, and I did find parts amusing, but there really isn't much to say about it.

 

[PaulloDEC]

That was a Dave Polsky episode alright.

Seemed a bit unfocused to me, not to mention tonally all over the place (both of which are Polsky hallmarks). I didn't mind AB's song, but not too many other scenes really stood out.

I thought things took a more interesting turn when the story became about Applebloom not being able to cope on her own, but that didn't last awfully long.

 

[DrForester]

I really liked the ending to this episode, but it was a pretty strange road to get there.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Checked it out and i wasn't a fan of them not remembering what they wanted to do after getting the marks until about 15 mins in but i can see the scenario they were going for where after doing a routine for so long to reach a goal and finally reaching it there is still a moment when you are still doing it.

Apple not realizing what the were looking for was like a "seriously?" moment for me.

The whole "not being able to cope on her own" thing was very intriguing and i wonder if it will appear again or did this episode officially wrapped it up?

 

[SigmasonicX]

Checked it out and i wasn't a fan of them not remembering what they wanted to do after getting the marks until about 15 mins in but i can see the scenario they were going for where after doing a routine for so long to reach a goal and finally reaching it there is still a moment when you are still doing it.

Apple not realizing what the were looking for was like a "seriously?" moment for me.

The whole "not being able to cope on her own" thing was very intriguing and i wonder if it will appear again or did this episode officially wrapped it up?

The idea appears to be that Apple Bloom is much more extroverted than the others, in the sense that she "recharges" by being with others, which isn't something that will change, but she'll probably manage it better now that she realizes it, like how Twilight handles her introversion. It makes sense that Apple Bloom would be like this, given how much time she spends with her family, including extended family.

On another note, I'm making my roundup post tomorrow, but I needed to post this now.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Unfortunately, my streak of no double posts in this thread has been broken. Decided to more cleanly separate these posts into sections.

PREVIOUS EPISODES
First, from last episode, super detailed sundae.

EDIT: Maud finds something she likes

NOTES
One interesting thing about this episode is that it's the very first one to contain none of the main six at all, not even as cameos, although Rarity was mentioned.

Q&A with Ward Jenkins, one of the storyboarders of this episode, his first of the series. Some interesting things include how he only had the storyboards of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" to go off of, and the real life cameos were included in the script or by the director already.

SCREENCAPS
For Imgur, remove the m or l from the end of the URL before the file extension to get the full image.

Art comparison of Zecora's hut. At this point, I think she just straight up moved to a different tree. Honestly, I always thought the first tree didn't fit the art style that well, but it's also kind of a shame that Zecora has a "normal" tree now.

Close up of Apple Bloom's map, though there are some odd artifacts. I don't think anything is covered up. Close up of Apple Bloom's failed tasks.

Artist ponies and Tree Hugger as a nude model, despite her normally not wearing clothes anyway. In the first picture, she's making the yoga tree pose. The artist ponies on the left are Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The one with Apple Bloom is Andy Warhol.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon haven't reverted to bullying, and here's a Dirty Dancing cameo.

GIFS
The lighting in the first scene is interesting, though I feel like the shadows on Apple Bloom are kind of odd. For the second, sorry Tender Taps, not everyone can gather the entire town for a big song when they get their cutie mark.

Rarity is inspired by Sonic Advance 2's ramp trick mechanic.

FANWORKS
In terms of notable fanart, it's mostly general Tender Taps art, which I find boring, shipping art of Apple Bloom and Tender Taps, which I have no interest in posting, and humanized Tree Hugger art, which I can't post, but here's some stuff.

Yoodalooo
Look at it
Tender Taps plushie made early today

MrPoniator gif

And we've started getting season 6 song remixes! Here's KingSpartaX37's Eurobeat remix of "Out on My Own". ED showcased another one I didn't like as much.

 

[Orcastar]

Artist ponies and Tree Hugger as a nude model, despite her normally not wearing clothes anyway. In the first picture, she's making the yoga tree pose. The artist ponies on the left are Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The one with Apple Bloom is Andy Warhol.

You missed Leonardo da Vinci in the background.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon haven't reverted to bullying, and here's a Dirty Dancing cameo.

GIFS
The lighting in the first scene is interesting, though I feel like the shadows on Apple Bloom are kind of odd. For the second, sorry Tender Taps, not everyone can gather the entire town for a big song when they get their cutie mark.

Rarity is inspired by Sonic Advance 2's ramp trick mechanic.

MrPoniator gif

And we've started getting season 6 song remixes! Here's KingSpartaX37's Eurobeat remix of "Out on My Own". ED showcased another one I didn't like as much.

Loving all of these especially.

The remix you weren't keen on might've been this one, which I actually quite like. Guess I'm a bit of a sucker for the drum and bass remixes.

 

[draetenth]

I thought it when I first saw him and I still think it: Tender Taps looks too much like Scootaloo with that color scheme. I do like the changing expressions of the two mares that walk by him as he shows off his Cutie Mark.

 

[SigmasonicX]

You missed Leonardo da Vinci in the background.

Ah, so I did.

Loving all of these especially.

The remix you weren't keen on might've been this one, which I actually quite like. Guess I'm a bit of a sucker for the drum and bass remixes.

What really brought it down for me was the middle section where it gets really repetitive.

I thought it when I first saw him and I still think it: Tender Taps looks too much like Scootaloo with that color scheme. I do like the changing expressions of the two mares that walk by him as he shows off his Cutie Mark.

Yeah, that was something that bothered me too. I wonder if it was intentional, to show that ponies do regularly encounter others with similar color schemes and that it's normal enough that they don't get weirded out by it.

EDIT: The bubblegum pony has been getting a lot of art.

EDIT: Comic - A Never Ending Crusade

 

[SigmasonicX]

9. Saddle Row & Rec - May 21
When Rarity opens her flagship store in Manehattan, a tell-all article threatens to expose how badly her friends almost ruined the Grand Opening.

My initial reaction was disappointment, since it seemed like a "Rarity is ashamed of her friends" story, despite Twilight being a princess, and/or another journalistic integrity episode. However, it does make sense that an article would want to expose Twilight screwing up, and an interesting story could be made out of Rarity focusing on PR instead of her dresses, obsessing over making sure there's nothing for journalists to latch onto.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

I think this is going to be like Rarity Takes Manehattan, and be a "Ponies can be real jerks in our idealistic world" episode.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Waffled on whether to post this in Community or here, but I decided I was talking about season 6 and particularly "Gauntlet of Fire" enough, so...

ED linked to this article about male representation in MLP. I was worried from the name of the website that it'd be anti-feminist, but it seems well-intentioned enough, and the article is written by a woman. Anyway, ED itself says that the article isn't all the well written, but there is a discussion to be had. I was thinking that it already comes up often enough and I'd prefer not to discuss it further, but I realized that's only on certain other boards I visit (and particularly due to one Spike-obsessed poster who keeps popping on those boards), and it hasn't really come up here.

So yeah, male representation in MLP. First of all, I'll say that I myself never had a problem with it, since I feel like it's fine to have some series that are heavily imbalanced toward female characters. That said, I do think it was for the benefit of the series that there's been an increase in male characters as the show has gone on, if only to make the show's society more vibrant and more (relatively) lifelike. I can also understand wanting more from the male characters. Spike's solo efforts are bad more often then not, and he's handled best when he's playing his assistant role with Twilight and now Starlight. Shining Armor is supposed to be a powerful soldier but he's completely useless. Discord's an asshole--one I enjoy, but still an asshole. Big Mac has gotten a decent amount of development over the years, but his base character is still the workhorse that doesn't say much.

I think the show is close to being in a good place with this, though, particularly with the start of this season. Sunburst was very well handled for a character whose sole hook was "Starlight's old friend", and I think the way he was presented was good for the series as a whole. He's unique among the male characters of the series, he's presented as competent without overshadowing the female characters, and I think it's nice how he is a nerd stereotype but doesn't have the misogynistic qualities affiliated with it. He talks to the female characters like they were people and with respect, without going into m'lady territory. It shows the target audience what a good nerd looks like, and he acts as an example for the more socially awkward adult males watching. Well, that last sentence is probably overstating things. Having Sunburst appear as a side character in some episodes would be a very good thing for male representation in this series and may even appease some of the people who are concerned about this.

And, you know, they could probably write Spike focused episodes better. Here's hoping this Saturday's episode turns out well. One instance of improving male portrayal by including more females is having more female dragons, which appears to be what they're doing, so this shouldn't be another "boys vs. girls" episode like "Dragon Quest" sort of was.

That's all that's needed, I feel, and it shouldn't go much further. There doesn't need to be a "men only" episode, and certainly not a "boy power" episode where the men have to save the women like I've seen suggested sometimes. Just keep doing what they're doing, except have Sunburst continue to appear, and the standard "make Spike episodes better".

==

Starlight Glimmer lost in the castle. There's a version with an extended ending in the description, but it's really just a repeat of the final gag of this version.

 

[draetenth]

I think people shouldn't forget that this is a show that was for little girls. Doesn't mean that there can't be problems or that you can't represent a group properly, it's just that the focus is on what little girls may like without being stereotypical (at least if we go by what Faust wanted).

I'll admit that the first thing that popped up into my head when I saw the article was how any time people complain about the anti-woman, MRA, Fedora wearing atheist, gamer gate types. People on NeoGAF (both gaming and off topic) have to throw in the "and they are probably bronies too!".

 

[PaulloDEC]

I've always been fine with Equestria as a female-dominated society. We've seen plenty of dudes by this point, and they're good guys almost without exception. While the focus of the show is certainly tilted towards women and girls, I've never felt that the show was saying "Girls are better than boys".

All I ever expect with any character on the show is that the writers do their best to write good characters. As Sigma mentioned, Sunburst is a great example of that, and characters like Spike and Big Mac have had episodes that deal with them really well.

Starlight Glimmer lost in the castle. There's a version with an extended ending in the description, but it's really just a repeat of the final gag of this version.

Oh god, Discord's dead eyes.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Friendship is Magic #41
This picture book inspired issue was very good, with a lot of great art and a fun story. Having Zecora narrate was clever, though there were too many gags involving her breaking rhyme. I thought it was a bit of a cop out to have so many speech bubbles instead of leaving things mostly to the narration, but the huge variety of art styles made up for this. Notable panels include Twilight yelling that technically you're always at the back of a line until someone gets behind you, Rainbow yelling at Tank, the black and white page of Rainbow spreading the drearies, the cliffhanger ending, Rainbow pinball, and the page of everyone getting along again.

Halloween avatar:

Spoiler

EDIT: Upcoming Starlight book gets a title: Starlight Glimmer and the Space-Time Suite. Huh, I guess she hasn't given up on time travel.

EDIT: Good Night, Baby Flurry Heart has also been released, and what I've seen of the art is super adorable. Too bad that while I have previously bought MLP books, buying a straight up picture book is still beyond my ken.

 

[SigmasonicX]

No one picked up the slack? You guys don't have to wait for me to post news, you know. Really, I'd prefer if everyone posted more, if only so I could space out the image dump posts.

10. Applejack's "Day'' Off - May 28
N/A

The most mysterious part of this is the quotation marks around "day". If the story involved Applejack not actually being able to relax, you'd think the full phrase "day off" would be emphasized. It's likely that the story will involve Applejack taking a day off, but enjoying it so much that it turns into days and even weeks.

Preview clip for "Gauntlet of Fire" and the writers are Kristine Songco and Joanna Lewis, who wrote "Castle Sweet Castle", "Rarity Investigates", and "The Hooffields and McColts", all of which are solid to great episodes. I was half dreading this episode, and even considered the possibility of Merriwether Williams coming back for it, but the positive response I've seen to the clip and the writers have made me more hopeful. (I haven't watched the clip myself)

 

[StoneFox]

I think the amount of male characters in the show is fine, and it's much more balanced than any other iteration of the show from eariler years. It would be one thing if all the villians were male, but they're not. Spike was always meant to be the viewpoint of the little boys watching the show, where he would enjoy himself and ponies' company most of the time, but gets kinda "pfft that's not for me" when the Mane 6 do something like go to the spa or do more girly things.

 

[SigmasonicX]

^ There is still room for the show to improve in that regard without bringing down the female characters, though, and the show has been improving. Thinking about it, the show has an odd blind spot with how minor and background characters in stereotypical male roles (like construction workers) tend to be male and not female. Changing that up actually would be a case of including more females to improve the presentation of males. For example, in "The Gift of Maud Pie", the pony that Pinkie gave her party cannon could have been female, which would have been an interesting change of pace for that sort of character.

==

Katie Cook will be leaving the MLP comic with issue #42, because she has a lot of other projects in 2016 and 2017. While I haven't liked many of the stories she wrote, particularly her story arcs, it's still a shame to see her go.

It's hard to believe that the comic has been around for almost 4 years, and she's been there from the start. I remember the bizarre way things worked out, with the first comic coming out around the same time season 3 started, when everyone thought for sure the season would start much earlier. Everyone was excited about the comic, especially with Andy Price's great art and the fact that it would bring back Chrysalis well before the show did. The first issue was interesting, had a lot of fun details, and presented the characters well. The second and third issues were also great, though perhaps less so than the first, but the ending of the arc was rather weak--something that would end up plaguing her story arcs of the comic.

The "Reflections" arc is what started to turn fan opinion against Katie Cook, as it had an extremely strong start but an ending that was disappointing for many. And then came "The Good, the Bad, and the Pony", which should have been a fun Western with Applejack but somehow wasn't at all, and that's really when she lost everyone. However, her comedic stories were pretty good still.

So how about you guys, what do you feel about Katie Cook's stories?

 

[wookieofdoom]

Welp, late to the party but I actually really liked On Your Marks. It had kind of an unusual but important message that people's and friend's interest will change over time. Doesn't mean that they won't still be your friend, but it can be hard to see those close to you change as they get older and discover themselves. Poor Applebloom, who lost her parents, has a pretty hard time letting go. She instantly had feelings of abandonment, and being very extroverted, she slipped right into depression when she was left on her own. I almost could've done without the sub-plot with the dancing pony (although I did like his story) because I was so interested in this direction they were taking the crusaders for this episode.

Anyways, this Dragon episode has me worried. It looks like Dragon Quest part II, and I hate that episode. But new writers might flesh out the dragons more and make the teenage ones less obnoxious. We shall see.

 

[PaulloDEC]

No one picked up the slack? You guys don't have to wait for me to post news, you know. Really, I'd prefer if everyone posted more, if only so I could space out the image dump posts.

Sorry, had an unusually busy week!

10. Applejack's "Day'' Off - May 28
N/A

The most mysterious part of this is the quotation marks around "day". If the story involved Applejack not actually being able to relax, you'd think the full phrase "day off" would be emphasized. It's likely that the story will involve Applejack taking a day off, but enjoying it so much that it turns into days and even weeks.

I like the sound of this. Hope it turns out like you've described.

Preview clip for "Gauntlet of Fire" and the writers are Kristine Songco and Joanna Lewis, who wrote "Castle Sweet Castle", "Rarity Investigates", and "The Hooffields and McColts", all of which are solid to great episodes. I was half dreading this episode, and even considered the possibility of Merriwether Williams coming back for it, but the positive response I've seen to the clip and the writers have made me more hopeful. (I haven't watched the clip myself)

Clip is quite interesting; too early to tell much, but I like the little bit with

Spoiler

Twi and Rarity

. Nice to see a

Spoiler

more varied example of Dragon society

, too.

Katie Cook will be leaving the MLP comic with issue #42, because she has a lot of other projects in 2016 and 2017. While I haven't liked many of the stories she wrote, particularly her story arcs, it's still a shame to see her go.

It's hard to believe that the comic has been around for almost 4 years, and she's been there from the start. I remember the bizarre way things worked out, with the first comic coming out around the same time season 3 started, when everyone thought for sure the season would start much earlier. Everyone was excited about the comic, especially with Andy Price's great art and the fact that it would bring back Chrysalis well before the show did. The first issue was interesting, had a lot of fun details, and presented the characters well. The second and third issues were also great, though perhaps less so than the first, but the ending of the arc was rather weak--something that would end up plaguing her story arcs of the comic.

The "Reflections" arc is what started to turn fan opinion against Katie Cook, as it had an extremely strong start but an ending that was disappointing for many. And then came "The Good, the Bad, and the Pony", which should have been a fun Western with Applejack but somehow wasn't at all, and that's really when she lost everyone. However, her comedic stories were pretty good still.

So how about you guys, what do you feel about Katie Cook's stories?

Initially I had mixed feelings, but looking back Cook's work is far more good than bad IMO. She's written some of the absolute classics of the range; Gazebo Repair and Neigh Anything from the main series and the Rarity and Luna micros being the obvious ones. She also wrote a brilliant FF issue (#8) and one of the better Fiendship issues (#1, Chrysalis).

Reflections may be one of the more controversial ones she wrote, but I'd argue that the best things about that arc easily outshine the missteps. I find that story is still a joy to read for the most part, and Cook's work in fleshing out Celestia's relationship with Starswirl and filling the gaps that Equestria Girls created are hugely appreciated, at least by me.

 

[Village]

Spike and Big Mac have had episodes that deal with them really well.

.

I would personally argue that spike gets a very... very short end of the stick, but that's less male representation and more, he will forever be regulated to side kick.

They have made very clear " do you like spike, you fucked up. You fucked up thinking dragons were cool. You don't get to see them most of the time, and the one you do he never gets to be cool, also he's a dog. "

I'm ok with a female dominated society in this lore, its a breath of fresh air from... well reality and a myriad of other works of fiction. Though I will say I would like to see more male characters doing more impressive things,

Spoiler

I think shining is hiding his powerlevel

. And maybe more males doing more feminine things and vice versa? Other than that, its cool.

-sits in the corner and mopes about spike-
Hello darkness my old friend.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I would personally argue that spike gets a very... very short end of the stick, but that's less male representation and more, he will forever be regulated to side kick.

I chose my words carefully there because I know Spike has also had episodes that didn't give him a fair go (Spike at Your Service being one of the main offenders).

The Secret of My Excess, Just for Sidekicks and Equestria Games are all episodes that I felt were good to Spike; not necessarily in that sense that he's cool or perfect in then, but that he's written well and not treated like a punchline.

 

[Village]

I chose my words carefully there because I know Spike has also had episodes that didn't give him a fair go (Spike at Your Service being one of the main offenders).

The Secret of My Excess, Just for Sidekicks and Equestria Games are all episodes that I felt were good to Spike; not necessarily in that sense that he's cool or perfect in then, but that he's written well and not treated like a punchline.

I have seen a lot of side kick characters in my day, and my day hasn't exactly been very long, but I have seen a lot of em. And every once in a while you see one the writers don't actually notice the potential in the concept and that's spike. Not just like character level, like money toys level.

And i'm looking at it like " You are throwing money down a toilet "

 

[SigmasonicX]

Welp, late to the party but I actually really liked On Your Marks. It had kind of an unusual but important message that people's and friend's interest will change over time. Doesn't mean that they won't still be your friend, but it can be hard to see those close to you change as they get older and discover themselves. Poor Applebloom, who lost her parents, has a pretty hard time letting go. She instantly had feelings of abandonment, and being very extroverted, she slipped right into depression when she was left on her own. I almost could've done without the sub-plot with the dancing pony (although I did like his story) because I was so interested in this direction they were taking the crusaders for this episode.

Anyways, this Dragon episode has me worried. It looks like Dragon Quest part II, and I hate that episode. But new writers might flesh out the dragons more and make the teenage ones less obnoxious. We shall see.

I hadn't actually considered the story in the general sense of being about your friends' interests changing over time. I previously mentioned Apple Bloom's extroversion possibly being caused by being with her family so much, but I hadn't made the connection to her parents.

And yeah, "Gauntlet of Fire" has the most potential to disappoint of the episodes revealed in this season so far. They have a second chance to flesh out dragons and maybe even Spike's history, and I hope they don't blow it.

I'm ok with a female dominated society in this lore, its a breath of fresh air from... well reality and a myriad of other works of fiction. Though I will say I would like to see more male characters doing more impressive things,

Spoiler

I think shining is hiding his powerlevel

. And maybe more males doing more feminine things and vice versa? Other than that, its cool.

Shining Armor has actually been in defense mode this entire time. One day, he'll face a villain and actually switch to his attack mode, Shining Sword.

As for that last point, I do think that's one place where MLP has disappointed compared to fan expectations from the first season: there aren't many moments of males doing feminine things that aren't presented as jokes.

I chose my words carefully there because I know Spike has also had episodes that didn't give him a fair go (Spike at Your Service being one of the main offenders).

The Secret of My Excess, Just for Sidekicks and Equestria Games are all episodes that I felt were good to Spike; not necessarily in that sense that he's cool or perfect in then, but that he's written well and not treated like a punchline.

Like I mentioned, Spike is pretty good in episodes that play up his assistant role, such as in "The Crystaling", "The Cutie Re-Mark", and even Equestria Girls (despite being a dog). They just have a hard time coming up with stories where he's the lead.

 

[Village]

Shining Armor has actually been in defense mode this entire time. One day, he'll face a villain and actually switch to his attack mode, Shining Sword.

As for that last point, I do think that's one place where MLP has disappointed compared to fan expectations from the first season: there aren't many moments of males doing feminine things that aren't presented as jokes.


Like I mentioned, Spike is pretty good in episodes that play up his assistant role, such as in "The Crystaling", "The Cutie Re-Mark", and even Equestria Girls (despite being a dog). They just have a hard time coming up with stories where he's the lead.

In order

If shining armor was an anime character, he would be the 2nd in command, who just messes around, but one episode where no one is around, he's gong to take the gloves off and no one will be ready. Secret alicorn wizard shit.

There are a lot of conventions that show sticks to that i feel like could be gotten rid off, in a society where women are like most of the air force. Gender stereotypes played for jokes might not be the one to keep.

You can't count equestria girls, when your creators make you an animal who's role in society is subservient domesticated and less than man. There is a genuine lack of respect for the character, you can't walk back. That was the definitive nail in the " we don't care about this character actually coffin" . Which i feel personally is a mistake, for a couple reasons.My main one being, money in the toilet.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I have seen a lot of side kick characters in my day, and my day hasn't exactly been very long, but I have seen a lot of em. And every once in a while you see one the writers don't actually notice the potential in the concept and that's spike. Not just like character level, like money toys level.

And i'm looking at it like " You are throwing money down a toilet "

Good news!

And yeah, "Gauntlet of Fire" has the most potential to disappoint of the episodes revealed in this season so far. They have a second chance to flesh out dragons and maybe even Spike's history, and I hope they don't blow it.

The moment the word "dragons" came up you could almost hear the sharp intake of breath from the fandom as a whole. On the plus side though, Lewis and Songco have yet to write a bad episode.

Like I mentioned, Spike is pretty good in episodes that play up his assistant role, such as in "The Crystaling", "The Cutie Re-Mark", and even Equestria Girls (despite being a dog). They just have a hard time coming up with stories where he's the lead.

In addition to the episodes I cited as personal picks for Spike, I'd agree with this too. He's had some great supporting roles in episodes in which he's arguably treated better than in his solo stories. The Crystal Empire is one that I always remember for that.

You can't count equestria girls, when your creators make you an animal who's role in society is subservient domesticated and less than man. There is a genuine lack of respect for the character, you can't walk back. That was the definitive nail in the " we don't care about this character actually coffin".

Sorry dude, but you're off the mark on this. I know we've talked about this before, and I know you feel strongly about it, but this attitude is unique to you, and not how everyone else feels about it (least of all the writers, I daresay).

 

[Village]

To suggest I am alone in my opinion when a good breath of criticism regarding MLP riverdale was that spike was a dog is dishonest.

I also will say that this is animation, you communicate things visually . Spike , dragons in MLP land can talk, have societies, do their own thing. Spike was as equal parts a person just as everyone else, they have had lesser animals in mlp to suggest their were some type of hierarchy . In this world, he's a dog, twilight is a human. There is literally no reason why he should be a dog, that was a character value statement. Whether intended or no, that is what is communicated in the medium they used. This character is a dog, lesser. He does not get to be with the other people, he is less he is dog. Not even a child, a dog.

In response to the toys, cool that's like two. I'm talking about secondary MLD line levels.

 

[SigmasonicX]

One of many reasons I hope for a Dragon Queen and other important dragon figures to be introduced in this episode is so fans can speculate on what the hell would happen if she goes to Dougworld.

Speaking of which, if any particular Dougworld dog came to ponyland, do you think... ?

 

[DrForester]

That was a great episode. Lots of great jokes and it's always nice when spike isn't a screw up.

 

[draetenth]

I liked it, probably wouldn't say it's great, but it's probably the best spike episode to date. I liked how Twilight, Celestia, and Luna were just having a nice quiet chat only to be ruined by Rarity and Spike showing up (also liked everyone's reaction to Twilight thinking about the research she could do in the dragon lands over going to help Spike).

 

[McNum]

...so much fanart incoming. They made a Tsundere Dragon Princess.

Anyway, it was a fun episode, definitely a step up from Dragon Quest, and it was great to see how Spike used his pony traits to help become a better dragon. And to teach the power of friendship to Princess Ember. Although teaching dragons the power of teamwork... why do I feel like that's going to backfire horribly in a few centuries?

But overall, I liked this Spike episode full of dragons. So, good on the show for making that work.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I liked this one too. Visually it was really neat and it told a good story for Spike.

I'm glad that the trend of dragon stories + silly disguises has continued, too.

 

[Village]

Yay dragons, it was pretty good.

The princess's design was pretty cool.


I visited the ppg thread and it made me feel better about this show.

 

[DrForester]

They made a Tsundere Dragon Princess.

It..it's not like I'm your friend or anything. B-Baka....