My Little Pony XXXIII: Happy Birthday Pony[thread]!

[BlasTech]

Okay everypony. I want you to close your eyes. And imagine.

Imagine twenty six Australian bronies. Imagine them outside the famous Sydney Opera House. Imagine two neighbouring meetups, one of which is decked out in WW2 kit and gear. Imagine another of maybe 40 people cosplaying a vast variety of video game characters. And imagine us 26 bronies, Rainbow Dash flag raised high, marching through this scene, shouting - shouting, not singing - "Winter Wrap Up" at the very top of our lungs, sounding like a bunch of angry drunks.

It was magical.

Also, Blastech is a gentleman, scholar and crack shot, turns out that all card games are better with pony cards, and Luna in Socks is universally determined to be the maximum diabetes inducer. Was good fun, entirely worth making the trip, even if I wasn't anywhere near the biggest ham in the room.

Tired and philosophical now, so I'm going to get some writing in. I enjoyed the new episode, by the way, but most of my thoughts have been covered already :smallsmile:

Aw, Thanqol you are too kind ^^;;

Good meetup was good, I'm completely tired out now. In good news, we may have convinced a few new ponies to check out GitP, time will tell on that front, and Thanqol manged to refrain (barely) from running away screaming when I laid out my horribad fanfiction ideas, so that's always a plus! :smallbiggrin:

Anyway, had a blast. Going to crash now, maybe after a little writing. New ep is awesome, am glad Bleakbane finally got his wish (and that he's now distracted enough for me to survive to see another day).

Oh, before I go. I want to nuke ponythread with an infusion of cute. FEEL THE MIGHT OF THE RECOLOURED D'AWWW!:

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/344/8/2/rarwity_by_luridchronomancer-d4ip4tg.pnghttp://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/342/b/e/twilly_by_luridchronomancer-d4iiew5.png
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/339/a/d/jackie_by_luridchronomancer-d4i8eop.pnghttp://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/344/7/3/pinkie_by_luridchronomancer-d4fd5h0.png
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/344/b/e/fluttershy_by_luridchronomancer-d4f8dtx.pnghttp://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/344/e/a/dashie_by_luridchronomancer-d4f2nyf.png
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/344/a/9/scooty_by_luridchronomancer-d4f28y1.pnghttp://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/308/e/6/derpy_by_luridchronomancer-d4f2fwr.png

[Lord Raziere]

Blastech: Nah……..those pictures just look like the ponies are melting :smallfrown:
It makes me depressed that they look like they are melting.

[Newman]

Some graphic commentary to Batman VS Pinkie

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/209/961/1e94aa75b17abcad492585c703b159a6c87ec78f.gif?13226 75543


I still can't believe they asked us to choose between her and Optimus.

[SiuiS]

I have decided to hold off on my quoteposting. There just wasn't any time to mount a retaliatory strike! I mean usually, these things start with an omen or obscure prophecy. Some young pony finds out, Nd bands together with others to find themselves, out in the wilderness thwarting lesser evils In preparation for the world-endingThread-clogging final assault.

And I gave you guys like, 24 hours. I am such a hack! I'll never get my villain license renewed; I'll have to go back to selling AVON at this rate...

*considers making this into a module*




On the Wonderbolts, I'm actually impressed with their showing. I mean..they cut dragon spines with their wings. I don't care if they got trapped in a water-tower jug or not, that is bad-ass. Plus they were fighting a dragon! They're lucky Spike didn't test out his flame breath honestly...


I don't think it was their wings.

I specifically wondered at why they flew in such straight lines, and why they held a single hoof out in front. And then they lawn-mowered Spike's spikes.

That is to say, I think they built Up speed and used a spear hand technique, not their wings.
Although now I remember Lix getting guff for saying ponies could cut with blades on their wings and I feel like I owe her money for losing a bet or something...


I thought I was the only pony to feel that way. Glad to see I'm not.

Nope! I discussed it briefly when the topic came up in it's own thread, but my experience with tropers in real life is that they use trope names to sound smart, be smug, and undercut analysis. If I want to talk about why this really cool scheme worked the way it did, I don't want the person I'm talking to to shrug and say "it was a Xanatos Gambit.". Our entire conversation, relegated to a sound byte and forgotten so you could look smart for trawling the Internet? It's insulting.

This may have more to do with the culture of local kids who learn about tropes and idioms from TVTropes.com, more than tropers themselves. But if you identify as a Troper, then using tropes is important to you. Which means I'm going to find conversation frustrating. It's like any technical jargon. I could explain a shooting impingement of the right superior end of the levator scapulae when I elevate the left shoulder, or I could say my neck hurts when I turn it to the other side. Jargon has it's place, just not everywhere.

That... That turned into much more of a rant than I wanted it to be. I'm sorry everypony. I think I'm good now >//<



Oh man. That pic brings back memories of a fresh young ponythread, bursting with vitality as we crossed over the brave new horizons! I remember those days, so young, so naive. We thought we could take on the world, and very nearly did!

Yeah, I have no clue what I was thinking. I'd use inebriation as an excuse, but that's not true. The most likely guess is that I wasn't thinking. Those were the days...

I do have to ask though. Your phone had to wait ten minutes or so before clicking another button, right? What did you think was going to be in the spoiler after clicking the third or fourth of those? Or did you not realize it would break your phone?
(I'm sorry :smallfrown:)

No worries! I just figured acting old and crotchety would be the best way to convey that.

And, no joke, my thoughts were around spoiler 3; "let's see how far it goes, see if I have an example so severe that I can use it to show folks how ludicrous this is getting!"

And as I deserved (actually, much nicer than I deserved as I was specifically Beig a jerk) Darth bobcat says to me, he says "point taken, but... Did you even have to open the first spoiler to know what was in there?"

Eyup. Slapped with my own stupidity. If you're reading this, DBC, thank you. You were marvelous for my sense of perspective.


[spoiler]
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash as giant Spike's "Naughty and Nice" shoulder angel/devil?

... This must be drawn. Bonus points if it can be done SFW.


Okay everypony. I want you to close your eyes. And imagine.

I wasn't anywhere near the biggest ham in the room.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! :smalleek:

Ach. Dropped quote. Lemme grab it manually...



i thought it was good that we got a bit of a spotlight on spike as he has had almost no role lately in the show. also... how do dragons mature so fast? that seems kind of ridiculous

[SPOILERS] [Conjecture] [tongue-in-cheek]
the answer is simple.

Equestria uses the 1st edition D&D experience model. Each 1 gp of treasure is 1 XP. Spike just so happened to find this out the fun way; by becoming a 26 HD monstrosity through pumping the XP scale.

I've been waiting all day for somepony to ask the right question for that :smallwink:

[Thanqol]

Well. Writing that chapter of Long Distance was a success.

I think I made myself sad.

I'll share it tomorrow.

[Newman]

Jargon has it's place, just not everywhere.

I totally see where you're coming from. Inferential distances should be shortened, that is, when you're explaining something in a conversation addressed to laymen, you should make a reasonable effort to use the concepts in terms people will understand. But being a pedant by using jargon when it's not needed is not at all something only tropers and trope-browsers do. BTW, that gag you did reminds me of a scene in Gargantua (or maybe Pantagruel) where the protagonist described his overkilling someone in painstaking medical jargon, only for the head of the opponent to turn out to simply have been hollowed so that it was red in the inside, black on the outside, and looked like a lawyer's hat.

Ba-dum-tish, take THAT lawers.

Yeah, they had a very unsophisticated sense of satire back then.

That said, here's some nice pictures:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/192/mlp.jpeg?1323531540
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/461/96550%20-%20Brace_Yourself%20canon%20meme%20pinkie_pie%20ru by_pinch.jpg?1323557578
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/535/96657%20-%20MY_MOM%20rarity%20Rarity_is_my_mom%20Youtube_ca ption%20Youtube_captions.PNG?1323572816
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/471/96571%20-%20animated%20rarity.gif?1323559853
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/402/96475%20-%20animated%20cute%20nuzzling%20rarity%20spike.gif ?1323551457
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/477/96599%20-%20animated%20complaining%20rarity%20spike%20Whini ng.gif?1323562280
Nanananaaaa, don't funk with my heart...
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/439/96510%20-%20macro%20rarity%20spike.jpg?1323555810
It's good to be home...
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/434/96530%20-%20spike%20trolling.jpg?1323555708
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/415/my_feelings_about_the_new_mlp__fim_episode_by_thet rueassanaut-d4ipne0.png?1323553961
I don't know watcha heard about me...
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/368/96403%20-%20artist%253Adekomaru%20cane%20hat%20pimp%20rarit y%20spike.png?1323543173


And now for some generic stuff
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/449/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-best-bucking-job-ever1.png?1323556767
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/557/132357020947.png?1323575478
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/541/16f46e478e4e2162d8c3965e3b83b5f4-d4inprv.jpg?1323573213
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/464/96552%20-%20Reaction_guys%20spike.jpg?1323557672
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/397/96473%20-%20nictitating_membrane%20spike.PNG?1323549702
I always used to the Green-Eyed Monster was Greed, not Jealousy.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/373/96418%20-%20applejack%20artist%253Ajohn_joseco%20rope%20tie d_up%20twilight_sparkle.png?1323544228
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/274/96346%20-%20applejack%20candlejack%20rainbow_dash%20twiligh t_sparkle.png?1323538350
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/258/96344%20-%20artist%253APixelKitties%20Discworld%20elephants %20equestria%20parody%20tank.png?1323537471
^THAT HAS BEEN JOSSED, DAMMIT
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/223/96326%20-%20artist%253Astardustxiii%20comic%20moustache%20o ld_spice%20parody%20pinkie_pie%20spike%20twilight_ sparkle.png?1323535868
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/093/96079%20-%20artist%253Akittenseitz%20humanized%20luna.png?1 323488964
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/120/a_thousand_years_of_exile_by_elmedico-d4ik3pi.png?1323496325
A cliché at this point...
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/072/96073%20-%20artist%253Azubirus%20big_mac%20blood%20madword% 20parody.png?1323487419
This is kinda hot.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/055/Canterlot%20Calling.png?1323485181
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/621/pony_black_pony_white_by_renepolumorfous-d3kn7j1.png?1323585034http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/613/96152+-+artist+misskatto+artist+the_kat+cute+fluttershy+l ineart+rarity+skethc+tea+tea_party.png?1323583643h ttp://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/031/pinkie_pie_by_seiryuga-d4eoh4s.png?1323482952http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/033/74545%20-%20artist:seiryuga%20humanized%20twilight_sparkle. png?1323483018http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/035/rainbowdash_by_seiryuga-d4cdldw.png?1323483122http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/025/applejack_by_seiryuga-d4e6fgh.png?1323482612http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/027/rarity_by_seiryuga-d4a2q05.png?1323482854http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/026/fluttershy_by_seiryuga-d4bfzdc.png?1323482744http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/original/000/215/627/derpy.jpg?1323586327http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/214/913/95751%20-%20adorkable%20artist%253Athelivingmachine02%20hum anized%20twilight_sparkle.jpg?1323467737http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/214/539/dashbig.jpg?1323394713

[Bayonet Priest]

It was magical.

It sounds magical. I would have loved to have been there. These brony meetups I keep hearing about all sound like a lot of fun.

[Deadly]

My own thoughts!

On RarityxSpike:
Okay, I'm in the camp who thinks it's never going to move beyond the 'friend' stage because of the age group the show is aimed at and the awkwardness of a dragon/pony relationship. My Little Pony, for as seriously as it treats it's audience, isn't at the point of explaining an inter-species romance or even the concept of a romantic relationship that doesn't cover anything physical beyond kisses. Nothing against MLP, OBVIOUSLY, but it's not the type of subject it can handle. Besides, some of the best romance stories are tragedies and/or unrequited!

That said, I don't get the 'RarityxSpike will NEVER get beyond this because of Spike's age'. Twilight was just a filly herself when she hatched Spike, so she can't be THAT much older then him. I'd give her five years, older then Spike. Ten, max, but I think that's rather unlikely considering in Lesson Zero Twilight is worried Celestia will send her back to magic kindergarten (which may or may not exist...), which could only likely happen if Celestia took Twilight on her student at that time (Or rather, I don't think Celestia could/would send Twilight back to a grade Twilight had before she had Celestia as a teacher, out of respect to any previous teachers Twilight may/may not have had). So, assuming five years, that doesn't put Spike that far behind Rarity in age because all of the Mane Six are generally in the same age group, and hell when it comes to emotional maturity I'd argue Spike is ahead of half the Mane Cast.

Anyway, my point is mostly that Spike isn't that much younger then the Mane Cast by my impression, it's just that a dragon's childhood lasts longer then a pony's childhood (unless Greed-accelerated obviously). Is it likely that Spike would be able to date Rarity, if there weren't other issues at play obviously? Well...relationships between people with a five year age-gap aren't common but they aren't unheard of either. On a different show where they were people, I'd give Spike somewhat decent odds actually but the relationship would have unique issues that wouldn't show up in more traditional ones (again, the age-gape). Again, likely? No. But possible! Spike would basically be living out the dream of dating his older 'sister's' hot friend, which is an admirable goal to aspire towards for most teenage-boys which is where I put Spike because he's obviously gotten to the point where he has crushes in the first place.

I still don't think it's likely and I'm amazed (and touched! The scenes at the end of the episode were heart-warming, even for me!) we got this much of canon-shipping on MLP, but the 'Spike is way younger then Rarity, it'd be creepy/weird if they dated' reason rings a bit hollow to me. If they could overcome the other issues that would come up in their relationship, then the age gape between them would be nothing for them to handle.

And, for the record, I would totally endorse MLP exploring a romantic relationship that offers only emotional boons to the two partners, if it was treated respectfully and done right, which I doubt it could be. But if MLP COULD do it (and who knows? Maybe they could! They got me watching a show about adorable cartoon ponies after all!), then I think Lauren Faust would have accomplished her goal of creating intelligent entertainment for young girls (even if she already has!) many times over if such a complex relationship was done right. In other words, I'll carry a torch with the space-lich for RarityxSpike to the ends of the earth, if only because I'm a sucker for tragic love/crushes that have happy endings...besides, they could adopt! :smallsmile:

Comparing a dragon and a pony's age is like comparing turtles and flies, or something. While Twilight may not be many years older than Spike, those few years mean a lot to a pony but very little to a dragon. Think of how humans stay children for many years, while other animals grow to adulthood or even die of old age in a fraction of that time.

Spike is a baby dragon, who very briefly grew to adulthood before reverting to baby dragon. Provided he keeps his greed in check I think it's reasonable to assume he'll stay a baby dragon for a long time, probably longer than any pony lives.

Physically, Spike is a child or even a baby, while Rarity is definitely an adult pony (maybe a young adult, but definitely adult). Rarity dating Spike is not like a 25 year old dating a 20 year old or even a 20 year old dating a 15 year old. It's like a 25 year old dating a 10 year old, at best.

Mentally I'd also argue that he acts entirely like a child too, which makes sense because that's what he is. Not quite like a baby, but definitely a child. Mentally he is no older and probably younger than the CMCs, who would also be inappropriate partners for the mane 6. And, ignoring greed-induced growth, he'll likely stay a child mentally for longer than Rarity lives because he's a dragon and not a pony.

And for the record, the age at which someone starts having crushes (of the childish, innocent kind) can be very low. I'm pretty sure I had a long and serious (as far as you can call it so at that age) relationship with a girl when I was around the age of 5 or 6. That's the kind of thing that comes to my mind when Spike says he has a crush on Rarity, except in my case she was the same age so that helped. Spike is not so lucky.

[Aotrs Commander]

My own thoughts!

On RarityxSpike:
Okay, I'm in the camp who thinks it's never going to move beyond the 'friend' stage because of the age group the show is aimed at and the awkwardness of a dragon/pony relationship. My Little Pony, for as seriously as it treats it's audience, isn't at the point of explaining an inter-species romance or even the concept of a romantic relationship that doesn't cover anything physical beyond kisses. Nothing against MLP, OBVIOUSLY, but it's not the type of subject it can handle. Besides, some of the best romance stories are tragedies and/or unrequited!

That said, I don't get the 'RarityxSpike will NEVER get beyond this because of Spike's age'. Twilight was just a filly herself when she hatched Spike, so she can't be THAT much older then him. I'd give her five years, older then Spike. Ten, max, but I think that's rather unlikely considering in Lesson Zero Twilight is worried Celestia will send her back to magic kindergarten (which may or may not exist...), which could only likely happen if Celestia took Twilight on her student at that time (Or rather, I don't think Celestia could/would send Twilight back to a grade Twilight had before she had Celestia as a teacher, out of respect to any previous teachers Twilight may/may not have had). So, assuming five years, that doesn't put Spike that far behind Rarity in age because all of the Mane Six are generally in the same age group, and hell when it comes to emotional maturity I'd argue Spike is ahead of half the Mane Cast.

Anyway, my point is mostly that Spike isn't that much younger then the Mane Cast by my impression, it's just that a dragon's childhood lasts longer then a pony's childhood (unless Greed-accelerated obviously). Is it likely that Spike would be able to date Rarity, if there weren't other issues at play obviously? Well...relationships between people with a five year age-gap aren't common but they aren't unheard of either. On a different show where they were people, I'd give Spike somewhat decent odds actually but the relationship would have unique issues that wouldn't show up in more traditional ones (again, the age-gape). Again, likely? No. But possible! Spike would basically be living out the dream of dating his older 'sister's' hot friend, which is an admirable goal to aspire towards for most teenage-boys which is where I put Spike because he's obviously gotten to the point where he has crushes in the first place.

I still don't think it's likely and I'm amazed (and touched! The scenes at the end of the episode were heart-warming, even for me!) we got this much of canon-shipping on MLP, but the 'Spike is way younger then Rarity, it'd be creepy/weird if they dated' reason rings a bit hollow to me. If they could overcome the other issues that would come up in their relationship, then the age gape between them would be nothing for them to handle.

And, for the record, I would totally endorse MLP exploring a romantic relationship that offers only emotional boons to the two partners, if it was treated respectfully and done right, which I doubt it could be. But if MLP COULD do it (and who knows? Maybe they could! They got me watching a show about adorable cartoon ponies after all!), then I think Lauren Faust would have accomplished her goal of creating intelligent entertainment for young girls (even if she already has!) many times over if such a complex relationship was done right. In other words, I'll carry a torch with the space-lich for RarityxSpike to the ends of the earth, if only because I'm a sucker for tragic love/crushes that have happy endings...besides, they could adopt! :smallsmile:

You sir, are a scholar and a gentlepony!

And I agree with you completely.

To me, an age gap is literally nothing. It's a non-issue, one only marginally less idiotic than height. (Worth noting my sister's husband is eight years older than her, and one of my friend's parents, I think, have a ten-year age gap.) Given the level of complexity of human relations, to constrain based on a simple number is ludicrous, at least from my outside perspective.

It's also one that has an enormous bias. It's apparently fine for older-male/younger-female combinations (see a ridiculous number of fantasy (et al)novels, and yes, most of them by women, or any time Wolverine has a romance), but the whole older-female/younger-male is rarer and much more frowned upon, and that offends my sense of equality on a deep level, which is one - perhaps even the main - reason I support Spike.



I also absolutely don't think Spike is really a "child". The Mane cast are explictly young adults with a younger mindset, and it follows that Spike is under the same conditions. I refuse to believe that Equestria - and moreover Twilight herself - is in to child labour, and Spike has been shown time and again to not only be trusted to run the library on his own, but to go off and do things unsupervised (trip to Canterlot during Look Before you Sleep for example) AND is considered to be capable enough to act as an animal-sitter. All of which leads me to conclude that he must - legally, at least in Equestria - be at least at an age where he is entrusted with adult responsbilities (which, admittedly varies by country, but around mid-to-late teens in most places).

(Also, it must almost be noted that as someone from the UK, sixteen to eighteen is where you start to be able to do adult things: you can get married at sixteen (and this is the age of consent in this country). So I, culturally, do not consider sixteen to be a "child" by any stretch of the imagination, which is perhaps why I don't have a particular problem with Spike/Rarity as it stands in terms of Spike's age, because I reckon he must be at least that (give or take a couple of years at most).)



Comparing a dragon and a pony's age is like comparing turtles and flies, or something. While Twilight may not be many years older than Spike, those few years mean a lot to a pony but very little to a dragon. Think of how humans stay children for many years, while other animals grow to adulthood or even die of old age in a fraction of that time.

Spike is a baby dragon, who very briefly grew to adulthood before reverting to baby dragon. Provided he keeps his greed in check I think it's reasonable to assume he'll stay a baby dragon for a long time, probably longer than any pony lives.

Physically, Spike is a child or even a baby, while Rarity is definitely an adult pony (maybe a young adult, but definitely adult). Rarity dating Spike is not like a 25 year old dating a 20 year old or even a 20 year old dating a 15 year old. It's like a 25 year old dating a 10 year old, at best.

Mentally I'd also argue that he acts entirely like a child too, which makes sense because that's what he is. Not quite like a baby, but definitely a child. Mentally he is no older and probably younger than the CMCs, who would also be inappropriate partners for the mane 6. And, ignoring greed-induced growth, he'll likely stay a child mentally for longer than Rarity lives because he's a dragon and not a pony.

And for the record, the age at which someone starts having crushes (of the childish, innocent kind) can be very low. I'm pretty sure I had a long and serious (as far as you can call it so at that age) relationship with a girl when I was around the age of 5 or 6. That's the kind of thing that comes to my mind when Spike says he has a crush on Rarity, except in my case she was the same age so that helped. Spike is not so lucky.

I have to disagree. As I say, Spike has adult duties and responcibilites, he doesn't go to school, and there is no amount of convincing you can do that will sway me to the opinion that every single pony character in the show treats Spike as essentially a second-class citizen to which child labour is acceptable. No way.

Mentally, he's at least as adult as the rest of the Mane cast (arguably, he's more mentally stable than most of them, for a kick, Twilight especially...)

I also have always found the arguement that "[X long-lived species] matures at a rate tens of times slower than [species, usually humans, but in this case ponies]" to be utterly ridiculous and nonsensicle. Elves are not, despite my jokes to the contrary, mentally retarded, and I find it simply impossible to believe a sentient creature exposed to, you know, life and other creatures would take centuries to reach a level of maturity sufficient to be considered adult. (And those species that usually do claim that they take hundreds of years to mature, and that they are considered barely more than an child at [x] centuries are just being willfully stupid and displaying a massive age-based arrogance.)

Finally, the implication from the show seems to be that dragons do not, in fact, ever seem to reach a level of advanced wisdom in their old age - Spike is certainly already more mature than both the older dragons, one whom acted like a petulant child (dragonshy) and the other that was a phychotic manic. To me, it very much seems like, contrary to D&D, dragons get stupider and more instinctual once the horde instinct sets in.



So yeah, even if Spike is not quite ready yet, not quite old enough at this exact moment in time, I certainly don't see it being a problem a couple of years down the line, especially since it will give Spike and Rarity to develop their friendship first. Which is, if I'm understanding all this relationship nonsense correctly, is generally considered to be a fair starting point, yes?



And, as I've said before, I also flat-out refuse to accept that Spike cannot get a happy ending in a freaking utopia populated by magical talking ponies directly ruled over by a benevolent pony sun-goddess.





That... That turned into much more of a rant than I wanted it to be. I'm sorry everypony. I think I'm good now >//<

You call that a rant? Pfft. Amateur!

[Deadly]

You sir, are a scholar and a gentlepony!

And I agree with you completely.

To me, an age gap is literally nothing. It's a non-issue, one only marginally less idiotic than height. (Worth noting my sister's husband is eight years older than her, and one of my friend's parents, I think, have a ten-year age gap.) Given the level of complexity of human relations, to constrain based on a simple number is ludicrous, at least from my outside perspective.

It's also one that has an enormous bias. It's apparently fine for older-male/younger-female combinations (see a ridiculous number of fantasy (et al)novels, and yes, most of them by women, or any time Wolverine has a romance), but the whole older-female/younger-male is rarer and much more frowned upon, and that offends my sense of equality on a deep level, which is one - perhaps even the main - reason I support Spike.



I also absolutely don't think Spike is really a "child". The Mane cast are explictly young adults with a younger mindset, and it follows that Spike is under the same conditions. I refuse to believe that Equestria - and moreover Twilight herself - is in to child labour, and Spike has been shown time and again to not only be trusted to run the library on his own, but to go off and do things unsupervised (trip to Canterlot during Look Before you Sleep for example) AND is considered to be capable enough to act as an animal-sitter. All of which leads me to conclude that he must - legally, at least in Equestria - be at least at an age where he is entrusted with adult responsbilities (which, admittedly varies by country, but around mid-to-late teens in most places).

(Also, it must almost be noted that as someone from the UK, sixteen to eighteen is where you start to be able to do adult things: you can get married at sixteen (and this is the age of consent in this country). So I, culturally, do not consider sixteen to be a "child" by any stretch of the imagination, which is perhaps why I don't have a particular problem with Spike/Rarity as it stands in terms of Spike's age, because I reckon he must be at least that (give or take a couple of years at most).)




I have to disagree. As I say, Spike has adult duties and responcibilites, he doesn't go to school, and there is no amount of convincing you can do that will sway me to the opinion that every single pony character in the show treats Spike as essentially a second-class citizen to which child labour is acceptable. No way.

Mentally, he's at least as adult as the rest of the Mane cast (arguably, he's more mentally stable than most of them, for a kick, Twilight especially...)

I also have always found the arguement that "[X long-lived species] matures at a rate tens of times slower than [species, usually humans, but in this case ponies]" to be utterly ridiculous and nonsensicle. Elves are not, despite my jokes to the contrary, mentally retarded, and I find it simply impossible to believe a sentient creature exposed to, you know, life and other creatures would take centuries to reach a level of maturity sufficient to be considered adult. (And those species that usually do claim that they take hundreds of years to mature, and that they are considered barely more than an child at [x] centuries are just being willfully stupid and displaying a massive age-based arrogance.)

Finally, the implication from the show seems to be that dragons do not, in fact, ever seem to reach a level of advanced wisdom in their old age - Spike is certainly already more mature than both the older dragons, one whom acted like a petulant child (dragonshy) and the other that was a phychotic manic. To me, it very much seems like, contrary to D&D, dragons get stupider and more instinctual once the horde instinct sets in.



So yeah, even if Spike is not quite ready yet, not quite old enough at this exact moment in time, I certainly don't see it being a problem a couple of years down the line, especially since it will give Spike and Rarity to develop their friendship first. Which is, if I'm understanding all this relationship nonsense correctly, is generally considered to be a fair starting point, yes?



And, as I've said before, I also flat-out refuse to accept that Spike cannot get a happy ending in a freaking utopia populated by magical talking ponies directly ruled over by a benevolent pony sun-goddess.


First, humans are an example of a race who stay mentally and physically underdeveloped for more than a decade, in fact probably around 2 decades. You don't call human children mentally retarded, however, they're just not fully developed and that's just how nature happens to work. Perhaps it is unreasonable to extend that to centuries, but it is a fact that some races mature vastly slower than other races.

Second, ponies mature relatively fast, at least compared to humans. A pony reaches adulthood around the age of 4 in the real world and usually lives 25-30 years (a few live longer, but that's not the norm). I believe Faust said this is also the case in Equestria. So perhaps it's more reasonable to liken dragons to humans when comparing ages.

Let's say Rarity is a young adult, this means she's maybe 5-8 years old in pony years. Spike is probably a little younger in pony years, maybe 3-5 given what we know about him and Twilight. Now, since we're equating dragon years roughly with human years this means Spike is a very young child, though not a baby, while Rarity is an adult between 15-26 and probably closer to 26 than to 15.

Let's say Rarity is 7 (~21 in dragon years) and Spike is 5 to be generous. At the time Spike reaches adulthood, let's say 16 which you mentioned as the legal age in the UK, Rarity would be 18 (~54 in dragon years). While not exactly impossible (it's no doubt been seen before) I do find it highly unlikely.

I agree that the taboo surrounding age differences and especially when it comes to older-female-with-younger-male is ridiculous, but while I don't consider such arrangements wrong that doesn't make them common either. I doubt even if the cultural taboo didn't exist such relationships would still be rare because most people probably just don't find very old people attractive.

Anyway, I completely agree that Spike should have a happy ending, and I'm sure he will get that. I said so earlier, too. The way I look at it, Spike will eventually grow out of his childish crush, but that won't diminish their friendship. Probably the opposite. They'll have many years of deep and meaninful friendship, and one day they'll probably look back and laugh together at his silly infatuation. His infatuation may go away, but his respect for Rarity will only get stronger. And even if one day Rarity becomes old and dies, likely long before Spike, it'll be bittersweet rather than sad, because they had those years of deep friendship.

I guess what I'm saying is, I just don't see Spike's infatuation as being all that deep or lasting. I suppose she'll end up being something like a dear grandmother to him, rather than a romantic partner, the way I see it.


Edit: Oh, also, I'm not suggesting Twilight is essentially using child labor here. Perhaps Spike was accompanied to Canterlot, maybe by the royal guard who probably had to transport him there anyway. And I don't know about you, but around here it's not unusual for children to help out around the house and such. I'll admit this is usually under some supervision depending on the task, but as you said Equestria is kind of a utopia where it's probably limited how much harm he could do. They're probably a little more relaxed about letting young children be alone for a while. I do doubt Twilight would let Spike be completely alone with an important task where there was an actual risk of damage or mistakes.

[otakuryoga]

i will just drop this here and slowly back away
http://youtu.be/OcE6rOczL0o

[Newman]

Second, ponies mature relatively fast, at least compared to humans. A pony reaches adulthood around the age of 4 in the real world and usually lives 25-30 years (a few live longer, but that's not the norm). I believe Faust said this is also the case in Equestria. So perhaps it's more reasonable to liken dragons to humans when comparing ages.



THAT IS TOO SHORT. I refuse to believe that. How can anyone accomplish anything in such a short time?

...

Ponies eventually evolve into the T'au, a galactic empire of very shortlived hooved humanoids who want to bring the Greater Good to everyone. Discuss.

[HalfTangible]

i will just drop this here and slowly back away
http://youtu.be/OcE6rOczL0o

O_O

So this is why bronies are associated with rule 34...

New Ep:
Today I learned that the way to a woman's heart it to kidnap her, steal everything I see, destroy a town and then give up halfway and leave the job unfinished.

[Newman]

^Well, it's what Peter Jackson's King Kong did. Except for the whole "dying" part.

Todd Ingram has issued a challenge for people to make covers of "The Pony Everypony Should Know" (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/daniel-ingrams-sing-becoming-popular.html#more)

[zakhmi]

Happy Birthday my Little pony from Zakhmi bro

[erikun]

I'll just leave this here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HcmNkxk-kE)

[Deadly]

THAT IS TOO SHORT. I refuse to believe that. How can anyone accomplish anything in such a short time?

Well, given that they are adults at the age of 4, they do get around 25 years of adulthood, a few even more. And without all the modern distractions like TV and computers, maybe that's not too bad.

Anyway, you could assume that ponies age like humans, but then presumably dragons would just age relatively slower than that, which might end up seeming less plausible since humans already age unusually slowly. But then, extremely long-lived races were always problematic anyway.

I used the "official" word of Faust that ponies in Equestria age like real ponies, and then assumed that dragons age like humans, because that makes the numbers more believable and the argument clearer. Dragons probably age slower than humans, however, given that we know at least some of them sleep for a hundred years at least some times, but I will admit that it strains believability when you have a race which supposedly ages much slower than humans.

Not that a show like FiM has to be completely believable, of course. It's fantasy, after all.

[Newman]

That awkward moment when you read Dangerous Business and you have The Last Charge Of The Eorlingas stuck in your head.

Then you try to find it in the OST and it ain't there, youtube clips had to extract it directly from the movie. (http://youtu.be/FXFHu5ukko8?t=3m34s)

What gives?

Anyway, thirty years (I mean, a human lifetime is already puny enough)... Those aren't too many Winter Wrap Ups, huh... And what about the CMC, shouldn't they have grown too?

[Deadly]

Anyway, thirty years (I mean, a human lifetime is already puny enough)... Those aren't too many Winter Wrap Ups, huh... And what about the CMC, shouldn't they have grown too?

I don't think much more than a year has passed since the start of the show. In fact...

Episode 10
Given that this apparently was Spike's first birthday in Ponyville...

...perhaps each season only represents half a year of Equestrian time or so. So the CMCs could be maybe 2 years old at the beginning of the show, maybe 2½ by now.

I'll admit such a short childhood does get tricky, but I don't think it's impossible.

[Newman]

Everyone please have a look at this meme's article, then see the first picture in its image gallery. Someone is unimpressed with our astronauts... (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/unimpressed-astronaut)

[Lix Lorn]

[SPOILERS]
I don't think it was their wings.

I specifically wondered at why they flew in such straight lines, and why they held a single hoof out in front. And then they lawn-mowered Spike's spikes.

That is to say, I think they built Up speed and used a spear hand technique, not their wings.
Although now I remember Lix getting guff for saying ponies could cut with blades on their wings and I feel like I owe her money for losing a bet or something...
SIUIS OWES LIXIE SEXY CUDDLES


And, as I've said before, I also flat-out refuse to accept that Spike cannot get a happy ending in a freaking utopia populated by magical talking ponies directly ruled over by a benevolent pony sun-goddess.
Listen to the Lawful Evil lich. Odd as it is, he speaks wisdom.

[MCerberus]

So guess which meme took over the internet most in 2011? (http://knowyourmeme.com/videos/24320-memes)

[Deadly]

Chapter 10 of Mare in the Mirror (http://adcoon.deviantart.com/art/Mare-in-the-Mirror-10-273462817), for the few who may be reading it

[Eakin]

Everyone please have a look at this meme's article, then see the first picture in its image gallery. Someone is unimpressed with our astronauts... (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/unimpressed-astronaut)

First time I've seen that meme. I like it! But come on, 1000 years is a century now? Get it right!

Also, for some reason the idea that ponies live 25-30 years really drives home for me how freaking ANCIENT Celestia and Luna actually are. It means that instead of 40 generations of ponies they've lived through well over 100 without their minds snapping like brittle twigs

[Nameless]

Episode 10:

So... Dragons have the ability to reverse puberty?

Also, yay Derpy! ^w^

[Callos_DeTerran]

First, humans are an example of a race who stay mentally and physically underdeveloped for more than a decade, in fact probably around 2 decades. You don't call human children mentally retarded, however, they're just not fully developed and that's just how nature happens to work. Perhaps it is unreasonable to extend that to centuries, but it is a fact that some races mature vastly slower than other races.

Second, ponies mature relatively fast, at least compared to humans. A pony reaches adulthood around the age of 4 in the real world and usually lives 25-30 years (a few live longer, but that's not the norm). I believe Faust said this is also the case in Equestria. So perhaps it's more reasonable to liken dragons to humans when comparing ages.

Let's say Rarity is a young adult, this means she's maybe 5-8 years old in pony years. Spike is probably a little younger in pony years, maybe 3-5 given what we know about him and Twilight. Now, since we're equating dragon years roughly with human years this means Spike is a very young child, though not a baby, while Rarity is an adult between 15-26 and probably closer to 26 than to 15.

Let's say Rarity is 7 (~21 in dragon years) and Spike is 5 to be generous. At the time Spike reaches adulthood, let's say 16 which you mentioned as the legal age in the UK, Rarity would be 18 (~54 in dragon years). While not exactly impossible (it's no doubt been seen before) I do find it highly unlikely.

I agree that the taboo surrounding age differences and especially when it comes to older-female-with-younger-male is ridiculous, but while I don't consider such arrangements wrong that doesn't make them common either. I doubt even if the cultural taboo didn't exist such relationships would still be rare because most people probably just don't find very old people attractive.

Anyway, I completely agree that Spike should have a happy ending, and I'm sure he will get that. I said so earlier, too. The way I look at it, Spike will eventually grow out of his childish crush, but that won't diminish their friendship. Probably the opposite. They'll have many years of deep and meaninful friendship, and one day they'll probably look back and laugh together at his silly infatuation. His infatuation may go away, but his respect for Rarity will only get stronger. And even if one day Rarity becomes old and dies, likely long before Spike, it'll be bittersweet rather than sad, because they had those years of deep friendship.

I guess what I'm saying is, I just don't see Spike's infatuation as being all that deep or lasting. I suppose she'll end up being something like a dear grandmother to him, rather than a romantic partner, the way I see it.


Edit: Oh, also, I'm not suggesting Twilight is essentially using child labor here. Perhaps Spike was accompanied to Canterlot, maybe by the royal guard who probably had to transport him there anyway. And I don't know about you, but around here it's not unusual for children to help out around the house and such. I'll admit this is usually under some supervision depending on the task, but as you said Equestria is kind of a utopia where it's probably limited how much harm he could do. They're probably a little more relaxed about letting young children be alone for a while. I do doubt Twilight would let Spike be completely alone with an important task where there was an actual risk of damage or mistakes.

These are good points, not going to deny that, but who says that dragons mature slower just because they live longer? Or how long they live in the first place? All we CAN know about dragon ages is that...they can take a hundred year naps which could be more akin to suspended animation then actual sleep. A long shot? Definitely, but just pointing out it's possible.

In any case, just because dragons live longer, this does not necessarily mean that they develop slower or have 'reverse dog/human years'. I still stand by my claim that Spike is more emotionally developed then half the Mane Cast, despite them being older then him. This could be a result of needing conflict in the show to have a show in the first place (and probably is! Let's face it, Spike is usually the sane man...er...dragon of the bunch because he doesn't usually get caught up in the happenings of each episode). But we've been given no indication that dragon's grow up slower then ponies do, only that they grow (literally) faster if they become greedy.

Also, on the dragon in Dragonshy, I don't think he acted like a cranky child at all...a bunch of ponies came into his cave, disturbing his nap, kicked him in the face, and tried to swindle him out of his hoard. He had a right to be angry!...Just not that angry cause he should have been more considerate of Ponyville in the first place in choosing a place to nap, as Fluttershy pointed out quite aptly.

[Bayonet Priest]

First time I've seen that meme. I like it! But come on, 1000 years is a century now? Get it right!

Also, for some reason the idea that ponies live 25-30 years really drives home for me how freaking ANCIENT Celestia and Luna actually are. It means that instead of 40 generations of ponies they've lived through well over 100 without their minds snapping like brittle twigs

Yeah, did Faust really ever state what sort of life span or life cycle ponies have? Cause I've always just assumed normal human lifespan and aging for them. Hell, even Spike who is obviously of a long lived species I just assume is somewhere around 12-13. Do we have any evidence that ponies age like real horses?

[Newman]

That scene in Dragonshy was possibly the best scene in the entire series, and encapsulated the spirit of the series so perfectly.

I still feel that this season is mostly dallying around, since the main introductions, character establishments and character destructions already took place. There's a lot that is already defined about the ponies. It'll be hard not to clumsily break that for the sake of a plot or a joke, Glee style.

Maybe it'd be fun to introduce ponies outside the mane cast. What about a Rowdy Boys (http://lh4.ggpht.com/_tEo38PEwokE/TJAXnegS-3I/AAAAAAAAGrM/_RGJvCSIydc/rowdy%20ruff%20boys_thumb.jpg) equivalent?

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/8330/ponieseverywhere.png

[Deadly]

These are good points, not going to deny that, but who says that dragons mature slower just because they live longer? Or how long they live in the first place? All we CAN know about dragon ages is that...they can take a hundred year naps which could be more akin to suspended animation then actual sleep. A long shot? Definitely, but just pointing out it's possible.

In any case, just because dragons live longer, this does not necessarily mean that they develop slower or have 'reverse dog/human years'. I still stand by my claim that Spike is more emotionally developed then half the Mane Cast, despite them being older then him. This could be a result of needing conflict in the show to have a show in the first place (and probably is! Let's face it, Spike is usually the sane man...er...dragon of the bunch because he doesn't usually get caught up in the happenings of each episode). But we've been given no indication that dragon's grow up slower then ponies do, only that they grow (literally) faster if they become greedy.

Also, on the dragon in Dragonshy, I don't think he acted like a cranky child at all...a bunch of ponies came into his cave, disturbing his nap, kicked him in the face, and tried to swindle him out of his hoard. He had a right to be angry!...Just not that angry cause he should have been more considerate of Ponyville in the first place in choosing a place to nap, as Fluttershy pointed out quite aptly.

True enough on the aging, I suppose.

I really don't see how you consider Spike more mentally mature than the others, however. To me he's clearly acting like a child, while with the exception of a few drama queen moments and mental breakdowns, the ponies all act pretty mature. They all have their "juvenile" moments, but ordinarily act their age. Well, except maybe Pinkie, I suppose.

Twilight pretty much acts like his mother and both she and Rarity treat him very much like a child, which it seems clear to me he's intended to be.


Yeah, did Faust really ever state what sort of life span or life cycle ponies have? Cause I've always just assumed normal human lifespan and aging for them. Hell, even Spike who is obviously of a long lived species I just assume is somewhere around 12-13. Do we have any evidence that ponies age like real horses?

I believe Faust has said they age like real horses. The best I could find in terms of sources for that are these somewhat vague comments, however:

Here (http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Pony_age_1.png) and
here (http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Age.png)

She also appears to think of them as slightly younger than I think most have come to see them.

[Bayonet Priest]

I believe Faust has said they age like real horses. The best I could find in terms of sources for that are these somewhat vague comments, however:

Here (http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Pony_age_1.png) and
here (http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Age.png)

She also appears to think of them as slightly younger than I think most have come to see them.

Ah, I guess I forgot about those comments. So nothing really solid but a pretty unambiguous implication that they do mature faster than humans. Well since I don't like to think of Granny Smith being in her thirties I'm going to just assume that no matter how quickly they mature they still live about as long as humans.

You're right about her seeing them as younger than we usually do too. She said 12-18 as the range she sees them at where I usually thought of Twilight and Dash being between 17-19 (those two just seem younger to me) and the others ranging into their early 20s.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Episode thoughts:
So i find this image, and the theory was jsut too hilarious:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/215/413/hats_make_spike_evil_by_babileilei-d4ipv3i.jpg?1323553786
Hopefully, Equestria does not have a TF2 equalivant.
I want to see what happens when he puts on Screwball's hat :smallbiggrin:

Comic:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/bdccf52e7d5639f40a020beb3ab81bbb/96340%20-%20artist%3Athex-plotion%20comic%20dancing%20pinkie_pie%20rainbow_d ash%20she%27s_a_maniac%20twilight_sparkle.png

Pretty Sweetie Belle:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/cbec632f6014af39eeaa7149a7751200/96254%20-%20artist%3Asaturnspace%20dress%20Lolita%20outfit% 20Sweetie_Belle.png

Awesome Episode 10 pic:
http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Oh, and more Episode 10:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3PAtZVFX50/TuPm2vP-yzI/AAAAAAAAXWg/nKLKiHBiyGs/s1600/96393+-+artist+starykrow+foalcon+hearts+rarity+shipping+s leeping+spike.jpg

[Deadly]

Ah, I guess I forgot about those comments. So nothing really solid but a pretty unambiguous implication that they do mature faster than humans. Well since I don't like to think of Granny Smith being in her thirties I'm going to just assume that no matter how quickly they mature they still live about as long as humans.

You're right about her seeing them as younger than we usually do too. She said 12-18 as the range she sees them at where I usually thought of Twilight and Dash being between 17-19 (those two just seem younger to me) and the others ranging into their early 20s.

I think I kinda like the idea that they age like real horses, but yeah, it's not like these vague comments are hard canon so we can still pretty much think whatever we prefer :) Maybe the team will decide on something else, now that Faust is not in charge, if they ever reveal exact ages at all.

And personally I see them all as being somewhere between 19-22, while Spike is around 6-8. All in human terms, of course.

Edit: Oh, also, some ponies do become much older than the average. I think the records is 60 something. Maybe Granny Smith is one of those few.

[Eakin]

I think I kinda like the idea that they age like real horses, but yeah, it's not like these vague comments are hard canon so we can still pretty much think whatever we prefer :) Maybe the team will decide on something else, now that Faust is not in charge, if they ever reveal exact ages at all.

And personally I see them all as being somewhere between 19-22, while Spike is around 6-8. All in human terms, of course.

Edit: Oh, also, some ponies do become much older than the average. I think the records is 60 something. Maybe Granny Smith is one of those few.

Yeah, late teens/early twenties has always been my estimate too. I know the lessons they're learning and their social inexperience is what makes people ball park them in the mid-teens or younger range, but I know far too many people in their early 20s who clearly need a refresher course in what the show's preaching to be persuaded that people are done learning about friendship when they hit 18.

But I've also assumed that since I'M 26 I might be mentally stretching their age category upwards since the characters are so dang relateable.

[Forum Explorer]

I don't think much more than a year has passed since the start of the show. In fact...

Episode 10
Given that this apparently was Spike's first birthday in Ponyville...

...perhaps each season only represents half a year of Equestrian time or so. So the CMCs could be maybe 2 years old at the beginning of the show, maybe 2½ by now.

I'll admit such a short childhood does get tricky, but I don't think it's impossible.

A short life span brings up some pretty big problems. Mainly learning. For example to become a doctor people spend a minimal of 8 years of extra education to learn that one skill. That's on top of the 12 years of basic schooling already given. Already we've nearly used up an entire life for a pony.

[Deadly]

A short life span brings up some pretty big problems. Mainly learning. For example to become a doctor people spend a minimal of 8 years of extra education to learn that one skill. That's on top of the 12 years of basic schooling already given. Already we've nearly used up an entire life for a pony.

Maybe ponies learn very, very quickly, especially if it's related to their special talent. Uh... or... MAGIC! :smallbiggrin::smalltongue: Yeah, OK, it does present some problems, but it could also help explain why the mane 6 can be adults and yet appear to have so many basic things to learn.

Though I also agree with Eakin, plenty of people in their twenties could do well with lessons in basic stuff. Maybe humans are actually lousy learners?

[Alabenson]

I think I kinda like the idea that they age like real horses, but yeah, it's not like these vague comments are hard canon so we can still pretty much think whatever we prefer :) Maybe the team will decide on something else, now that Faust is not in charge, if they ever reveal exact ages at all.

And personally I see them all as being somewhere between 19-22, while Spike is around 6-8. All in human terms, of course.

Edit: Oh, also, some ponies do become much older than the average. I think the records is 60 something. Maybe Granny Smith is one of those few.

I have trouble the whole "they age like real horses" stance seriously since if ponies were physically much like real horses at all then the entire main cast would have been either crushed / stricken with diabetes before the end of season 1.

[Deadly]

I have trouble the whole "they age like real horses" stance seriously since if ponies were physically much like real horses at all then the entire main cast would have been either crushed / stricken with diabetes before the end of season 1.

Well, real horses are apparently rather sensitive when it comes to eating and get sick easily. They can't throw up, for example, so if they eat too much it can be a serious problem.

Also, from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_nutrition#Treats):


However, many types of human foods are potentially dangerous to a horse and should not be fed. This includes bread products, meat products, candy, and carbonated or alcoholic beverages.

Realistically I'm pretty sure Pinkie would be stone dead. Thankfully we are allowed to be a little lax on realism sometimes when dealing with fantasy :)

[Aotrs Commander]

Warning: long rambling follows...!

Especially long, since I had a lot of this typed up before I had to go out to panto practice, and added to it while the debate has been going on...


Second, ponies mature relatively fast, at least compared to humans. A pony reaches adulthood around the age of 4 in the real world and usually lives 25-30 years (a few live longer, but that's not the norm). I believe Faust said this is also the case in Equestria. So perhaps it's more reasonable to liken dragons to humans when comparing ages.



THAT IS TOO SHORT. I refuse to believe that. How can anyone accomplish anything in such a short time?

They can't. The long and short of it, unless ponies are possessed of a biology that is significantly different to humans and real-world mammals (like completely alien), and ponies are massively racially more intelligent than humans, they simply cannot learn to the same level of intelligence (which they display in the series, up to and including the use of advanced technology and thaumatergy) at twice to three times the speed.

Leaving aside the fact that complex brains a different kettle of fish altogether to develop (there is a reason primates have to be taught to hunt/gather and horses can run shortly after birth - the latter doesn't require much effort. Horses, while not stupid, are not very bright. Also, there is a pattern with primates that the larger the social group the larger the brain - and ponies seem to live in a society as diverse as humans do, so their brains must be on the same level or better of complexity. That kind of intelligence doesn't come easily, without extensive genetic programming that ponies has demonstrated they don't have (see: pony baby, more on that later).)

If we're applying real-world timespans to ponies it ALSO means that Applebloom and co are four years or less old, as they are still "fillies". As horses reach they full growth in approximately four-to-seven years, we should see a drastic increase in size for the CMC over a period (which at the very least , if both seasons happen at the same time, includes a 3/4 year period between the Summer Sun celebration and the start of the following spring), which we don't.

In addition, the presence of the aforementioned pony baby in Mare-do-well pretty much blows the ponies-develop-like-real-world-equines out of the water, since horses are capable of walking within only hours of birth (they have too, in the wild, of course.) And it would make no sense at all for them to require prams in that instance. Unless you are going to try to argue that the one time we see a baby pony is one that has some sort of disability...

Also, it follows that gryphons must ALSO have the same age rate as ponies, because of Gilda.

Finally, unless we assume that the growth rate of plants is unaturally accelerated, it's getting hard to beleive that Applejack could grow any plants from seed. I have a vague recollection - and please correct me if I'm wrong - was it not stated that she'd grown Bloomberg from a seedling? Because it would take several years to get a tree that size.

While I am willing to conceed that ponies do develop faster than humans, I don't think it would be anything like the extent of the speed of real-world equines. Twenty-to-fifty percent, maybe; which would put us in the range of "young adult" with "mental maturity of 12-18", putting the main cast at somewhere around 22-28ish, give or take a few years, with Spike somewhere between 5-10 years younger. (I reckon he must be older than the CMC, for the aformentioned reasons. Plus if he's not, it implies Twilight was of foal-bearing age when Spike was hatched, which I really don't think was the case, no?) But definately not two to three times faster than humans.

The truth is also almost certainly not a linear conversion either (because biology doesn't work that straightforwardly!); there is likely a steep curve somewhere in the development speed. (Lauren said "age differently" not "age faster" which, might be more accident than design, but I think is an important distinction. And it also follows that just because they mature faster, that their lifespan is not necessarily shorter as well; double-especially so given that they are inherently magical creatures.)


I don't think much more than a year has passed since the start of the show. In fact...

Episode 10
Given that this apparently was Spike's first birthday in Ponyville...

...perhaps each season only represents half a year of Equestrian time or so. So the CMCs could be maybe 2 years old at the beginning of the show, maybe 2½ by now.

I'll admit such a short childhood does get tricky, but I don't think it's impossible.

Except that we know winter is three months long, from Winter Wrap Up.

One must assume therefore, either there is no continuity between episodes at all, and season two is happening concurrently with season one or

Spike just wasn't it Ponyville on his last birthday; perhaps it fell during one of his trips to Canterlot; I'd suggest during the time of Look Before You Sleep, but that was during the autumnal period, so...

And, as I say, the absolute minimum time if the seasons are concurrent is nine months, and we would expect to see a significant change in the CMC in that period as that would comprise a significant proportion of their physical maturation time.


These are good points, not going to deny that, but who says that dragons mature slower just because they live longer? Or how long they live in the first place? All we CAN know about dragon ages is that...they can take a hundred year naps which could be more akin to suspended animation then actual sleep. A long shot? Definitely, but just pointing out it's possible.

In any case, just because dragons live longer, this does not necessarily mean that they develop slower or have 'reverse dog/human years'. I still stand by my claim that Spike is more emotionally developed then half the Mane Cast, despite them being older then him. This could be a result of needing conflict in the show to have a show in the first place (and probably is! Let's face it, Spike is usually the sane man...er...dragon of the bunch because he doesn't usually get caught up in the happenings of each episode). But we've been given no indication that dragon's grow up slower then ponies do, only that they grow (literally) faster if they become greedy.

In fact, this episode seems to indicate that dragon size is not really related to physicality at all, but magical, and thus may not naturally happen over a long period, like, at all, but simply occur phemonimally quickly, as some stimulus. (It might even be only at horde instinct, who knows?)

We only know that dragons are long-lived; it now definately does not follow that they mature slowly - if anything, it seems to indicate the reverse, that once the hoarding instinct kicks in: BANG, adult dragon, with a serious downgrade in intelligence and attitude.

This might also explain why there are so few dragons around; without an extremely strong bond to the ponies around them, like Spike is fortunate to have, they might all simply go wild and uncontrollable within a few years of hatching. Heck, that warning siren might be, rather than just a humorous gag, and actual dragon-warning alarm, and anti-dragon duty might be part of the Wonderbolt's standard non-display duties. (This time, they just happened on a Protagonist Dragon with a higher-than average intelligence!)


These Also, on the dragon in Dragonshy, I don't think he acted like a cranky child at all...a bunch of ponies came into his cave, disturbing his nap, kicked him in the face, and tried to swindle him out of his hoard. He had a right to be angry!...Just not that angry cause he should have been more considerate of Ponyville in the first place in choosing a place to nap, as Fluttershy pointed out quite aptly.

I dunno, I think in hindsight, knowing what we do now, it was more like he acting on a closer to instinctive level (certainly he didn't try any kind of negotiation or anything, or even issue a warning other than grunts and growls, and only spoke at all once Flutteryshy went all badass on him.) From watching Spike - and the other dragon in Owl's Well - my guess is that once the hording instinct takes over, the dragon just goes mostly beastial, and it's too much like effort to interact other than on a basic level unless severely provoked. I think this episode has rather convince me that Equesitrain dragons have little in common with D&D dragons.

(I'm totally keeping the whole "dragons will mate with anything" schick, though, for the sake of Spike's future happiness. And as I've said before, a half-dragon unicorn with twin fire-slash-teleport breath weapons is just too fragging Awesome not to consider...)

(Also, my long-standing theory that Spike is a different species of dragon to the other pair we've seen (i.e. "baby dragon" might be his species, rather than an age-related term) may still have some truth, as his adult form didn't have wings. But it is looking a touch less likely.

[Eakin]

I have trouble the whole "they age like real horses" stance seriously since if ponies were physically much like real horses at all then the entire main cast would have been either crushed / stricken with diabetes before the end of season 1.

Bah, next your going to tell me that real horses can't talk or use unicorn magic either!

Ages like real ponies != biologically identical to real ponies

[Newman]

Yeah. Give a horse a sugar and they'll be happy. Give'em too many and they DIE. You gotta be reeeeally careful about their diet...

But yeah, there's a definite lack of grass eating. But I don't know if you want to get into the fine details of the biology, because otherwise we'd have to speak about the conspicuous lack of sanitation and we'd have to also talk about the ponies being Barbie and Ken dolls when it comes to their lower anatomy, or the difference between fur and skin not being clear or...

You know what? Let's stick to overthinking character relationships, and forget about biology. It's a haha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-ha) we'll have to steer clear off of...

Hey, at least it's not a hoho. Those are 50 feet deep, you know?

[mikeejimbo]

Ep10
I would, however, like to think there is a way for a dragon to mature and maintain their intelligence. In fact, this is one instance - one of few mind you - I disagree with Aotrs Commander. I think that the dragon in Dragonshy did possess quite capable intelligence, but felt that negotiating with ponies would be far enough beneath him he didn't bother to speak.

[Deadly]

Yeah. Give a horse a sugar and they'll be happy. Give'em too many and they DIE. You gotta be reeeeally careful about their diet...

But yeah, there's a definite lack of grass eating. But I don't know if you want to get into the fine details of the biology, because otherwise we'd have to speak about the conspicuous lack of sanitation and we'd have to also talk about the ponies being Barbie and Ken dolls when it comes to their lower anatomy, or the difference between fur and skin not being clear or...

You know what? Let's stick to overthinking character relationships, and forget about biology. It's a haha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-ha) we'll have to steer clear off of...

Hey, at least it's not a hoho. Those are 50 feet deep, you know?

Yeah. It's ultimately a pointless discussion, like many others we occasionally have, because the show is far from consistent and doesn't even try or intend to be. It's more important for the show to be able to make the jokes they need, than to be very accurate all the time. Also, we're talking about magic ponies and mystical creatures.

So pony and dragon ages, pony anatomy... all that stuff, always going to be vague and likely even logically inconsistent.

I'll concede that we can't say anything about their exact ages or how they age (though it's fun to speculate and come up with crazy theories), but my view of Spike remains the same. He's a child compared to the ponies, who treat him exactly as such, including Rarity. His crush on Rarity is obviously a childish one that he'll eventually outgrow, and Rarity doesn't share it. That does not in any way imply a sad ending for them, quite the opposite as I've said several times.



Except that we know winter is three months long, from Winter Wrap Up.

One must assume therefore, either there is no continuity between episodes at all, and season two is happening concurrently with season one or

Spike just wasn't it Ponyville on his last birthday; perhaps it fell during one of his trips to Canterlot; I'd suggest during the time of Look Before You Sleep, but that was during the autumnal period, so...

And, as I say, the absolute minimum time if the seasons are concurrent is nine months, and we would expect to see a significant change in the CMC in that period as that would comprise a significant proportion of their physical maturation time.

I think it's clear by now that continuity is somewhat broken and perhaps some of season 2 does overlap with season 1. How much I'm not sure, again it's likely to stay vague.

Also just a note, it's quite likely that the show is going to do like many other cartoons and never let characters age no matter how long the show runs...

Episode 10
Except reversibly, like Spike in this episode

[Jahkaivah]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/no_gold_only_FRIENDSHIP.jpg

[Newman]

I suspect a zelda-like timeline conundrum down the line.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/058/605/fagt.png?1318992465

[SiuiS]

Happy Birthday my Little pony from Zakhmi bro

Thanks!


Well, given that they are adults at the age of 4, they do get around 25 years of adulthood, a few even more. And without all the modern distractions like TV and computers, maybe that's not too bad.

Anyway, you could assume that ponies age like humans, but then presumably dragons would just age relatively slower than that, which might end up seeming less plausible since humans already age unusually slowly. But then, extremely long-lived races were always problematic anyway.

I used the "official" word of Faust that ponies in Equestria age like real ponies, and then assumed that dragons age like humans, because that makes the numbers more believable and the argument clearer. Dragons probably age slower than humans, however, given that we know at least some of them sleep for a hundred years at least some times, but I will admit that it strains believability when you have a race which supposedly ages much slower than humans.

Not that a show like FiM has to be completely believable, of course. It's fantasy, after all.

I was going to argue, but you already provided the info I didn't have. It's odd to lose before I call, but well done.

I'll have to go with the commodore here. There seems to be too much contradiction between the two sets of facts. So we could probably go with whichever interpretation I want to. That feels cheap though, so I'll have to try and continueto reconcile all of the data.

Man, it's even worse knowing that occasionally they throw things in that aren't canon specifically for jokes, but It makes it harder to delineate what is and is not true.

In other news, if I have time to draw today (and no audience; totally can draw with an audience >>; ) I'll try to take care of some old jokes.

Hey, Raz? Remember this?


Well, I guess I can check "Make somepony laugh today" off of my calendar! Also, "Hurt SiuiS". Isn't it great when you can get two things done at once? http://i.imgur.com/ROEne.jpg

Also you can check "Make my lord and master Raz_Fox laugh at my antics" off of your calendar. Today.

So I got a huge calendar page with stuff scribbled on it. Each day had "Make L&M Raz Fox laugh" as well as a bunch of other sight gags, like "3days no hoo in mouth, 4 days no hoof in mouth ... 1 day no hoof in mouth" and such. But the calendar page was too big. I am totally unhappy with the composition. I'll try and edit in some pictures anyway, but I fear I'll have to let this joke die.

[Alabenson]

Ep 10
With regards to how dragons mature, I'm in the "they can either grow slowly normally, or accelerate the growth process via greed at the expense of their ability to reason" camp. I think the reason we haven't seen any adult dragons who have maintained their mental faculties is because, in the wild, the advantages of rapid growth outweigh the value of intelligence.

[Beacon of Chaos]

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c226/saxcsa/no_gold_only_FRIENDSHIP.jpg

That's fantastic XD

[Bayonet Priest]

That's fantastic XD

Agreed. And that is definitely Pinkie Pie.

[Deadly]

Let me try to take another stab at explaining pony development and how Equestrian ponies can logically age somewhat like real ponies, even though it's a futile endeavor :) Somewhat rough, quick outline. Even if you disagree with the basic premise, I'd love any thoughts on how to make it better and more fully developed. Hur hur!

All three pony kinds age the same way. This is probably not realistic, but it sure makes things simpler. Perhaps a later revision of this can consider differences between earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi, but for now, ignore that.

Equestrian ponies age much like real world ponies. Until about one year of age they are considered foals. However, unlike real horses, they take some time to develop the ability to walk. This is because unlike real horses they have a highly developed brain which needs a lot of time and energy, especially during the first year. Given that Pipsqueak is at most 1 year old, it stands to reason that they learn to walk in less than a year, however. Let's say half a year as an arbitrary estimate?

From one year to four years of age, they are considered fillies/colts, or children in other words. Applebloom and her friends are probably around two-three years of age. However, since the show is likely to take the route of never aging the characters they're going to stay that way no matter how much time realistically must have passed in the show.

Ponies are extremely good at picking up basic skills and knowledge, at least while they are children. Perhaps this is a magic effect, since they are magic ponies. Look at how quickly Applebloom picked up skills when she was under the effect of the cutie pox. That is obviously an extreme example brought about by uncommon means, but something similar could explain how they learn so much during only 4 years. Foal brains are sticky as hell and absorb vast amounts of basic skills in a matter of months. After the first year, things slow down so that by age 4 they probably learn about as fast as humans.

Perhaps this intense spurt in development and acquisition of skills and knowledge is why these ponies are able to gobble down immense amounts of sweets. It's actually needed to fuel their super-human development, and this is something which is possible because they live under very fortunate conditions where such things are plentiful.

Ponies in the real world have an expected lifespan of 25-30 years, though some have been known to live as long as 60 years. This may be to some degree a matter of living conditions. Horses in the wild, like any animals in the wild, have very rough living conditions. Humans have overcome this through technology to live much longer than they would in the wild. Horses kept in captivity probably live longer than their wild cousins, but they are subject to overfeeding and other things because their preference for grazing and slow eating doesn't mesh well with human concerns about productivity and such. Which means even horses in captivity probably don't live as long as they could, given optimal conditions.

Ponies in Equestria can be assumed to have overcome this, like humans, and reached more optimal living conditions, including advanced medicine (perhaps enhanced by magic, like we saw with Zecora's potions). This means it is not unreasonable to assume that ponies of Equestria typically reach higher ages than real world ponies. Expected lifespans may be 50-60, with some living as long as 70-80.

[Soras Teva Gee]

I think I kinda like the idea that they age like real horses, but yeah, it's not like these vague comments are hard canon so we can still pretty much think whatever we prefer :) Maybe the team will decide on something else, now that Faust is not in charge, if they ever reveal exact ages at all.

And personally I see them all as being somewhere between 19-22, while Spike is around 6-8. All in human terms, of course.

Edit: Oh, also, some ponies do become much older than the average. I think the records is 60 something. Maybe Granny Smith is one of those few.

We know however what Lauren Faust intended in designing the series and why she chose it that way

Knew I bookmarked this for a reason. (http://comments.deviantart.com/5/35510074/1770555388)


They are young adults, but with a maturity level of anywhere from 12 - 18. I guess I sort of justify it in my head that in real life, horses are adults by the time they are 2 or so. MLPs are horses with human brains, so they grow up fast, but mature slower....?

It's imprecise, but that's kind of what I'm thinking. At the end of the day, they need to be relatable to younger kids, but stories about going to school and dealing with parents isn't what I wanted to do so, there you have it.

So all the ponies are fully grown but less mature then that implies. They are not adults however. Remember our perceptions have been MASSIVELY inflated by the assumption of attending college and such from the previous generation.


Maybe ponies learn very, very quickly, especially if it's related to their special talent. Uh... or... MAGIC! :smallbiggrin::smalltongue: Yeah, OK, it does present some problems, but it could also help explain why the mane 6 can be adults and yet appear to have so many basic things to learn.

Though I also agree with Eakin, plenty of people in their twenties could do well with lessons in basic stuff. Maybe humans are actually lousy learners?

Their not adults they simply don't have the developed luxury of taking until 25 to grow up like the young nerds that make up us internet generation folk. Observe that there is no real evidence of any high-school middle-school equivalents. Cheerilee is a classic frontier style schoolmarm which only covers you to there.


Bah, next your going to tell me that real horses can't talk or use unicorn magic either!

Ages like real ponies != biologically identical to real ponies

Given that death and aging is one of the most fundamental biological processes.... I'd be willing to hazard



But yeah, there's a definite lack of grass eating.


We have seen grass sandwiches and Twilight has eaten flowers garnish at least once. What we don't see though is grazing.

[Tectonic Robot]

Guys... I'm terrible at keeping up with ponythread. ;_;

Is there anyone I should hug, any injokes I should laugh at, or anything I should be aware of?

[Deadly]

Their not adults they simply don't have the developed luxury of taking until 25 to grow up like the young nerds that make up us internet generation folk. Observe that there is no real evidence of any high-school middle-school equivalents. Cheerilee is a classic frontier style schoolmarm which only covers you to there.

I'd say they are adults, in everything but perhaps mentality. And that only to some degree. They are physically fully grown, and they have adult responsibilities and everything. I'm sure they are also legally considered adults by Equestrian law, if there is such a thing. As you say they just have the privilege of living in a much more carefree world where they are allowed to be a little more childish on occasion. Still, as I said earlier, aside from those occasional "juvenile" moments they all act like adults most of the time. Except perhaps Pinkie.

[Eakin]

I'm just going to assume they're kidults, like so many of their brony fans :smallamused:

Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm one myself after all

On another note, while I doubt we'll ever actually see her again I really REALLY want a Fluttershy episode centered around her and

The veterinarian (holy crap that's hard to spell) pony from this episode. I had been assuming that Fluttershy provided all of Ponyville's animal care, but I'd love to see an episode that contrasts her hands-on lovey dovey approach to a medical professional.

Edit: As in I doubt we'll see the new pony in the spoiler box again. I don't think they could cut Fluttershy... could they? :smalleek:

[mikeejimbo]

Is there anyone I should hug, any injokes I should laugh at, or anything I should be aware of?

Isn't it always time for hugs?

[otakuryoga]

Guys... I'm terrible at keeping up with ponythread. ;_;

Is there anyone I should hug, any injokes I should laugh at, or anything I should be aware of?

Spike
has
a
ummm, Pinkie...what are you doing here with a bat in your
OW! noooo Pinkie stop!! Ow! please stop
umm, Oh dear, Would somepony be kind enough to go get Nurse Redheart or that nice new Doctor that just arrived in town? that is...if you dont mind

[Raz_Fox]

Hey, Raz? Remember this?


So I got a huge calendar page with stuff scribbled on it. Each day had "Make L&M Raz Fox laugh" as well as a bunch of other sight gags, like "3days no hoo in mouth, 4 days no hoof in mouth ... 1 day no hoof in mouth" and such. But the calendar page was too big. I am totally unhappy with the composition. I'll try and edit in some pictures anyway, but I fear I'll have to let this joke die.


Your Lord and Master Raz_Fox is pleased, minion, that you remember your role in life. Do continue to amuse me.

[Forum Explorer]

Guys... I'm terrible at keeping up with ponythread. ;_;

Is there anyone I should hug, any injokes I should laugh at, or anything I should be aware of?

we are currently involved in a discussion that is trying to figure out a pony life-cycle

Speaking of which
Deady that seems to be more reasonable.

However they still wouldn't learn that much and would know less then a human of the same maturity level. Why? The speed of learning would be limited by their ability to read or listen, both skills need to be learned in the first place as well.

Also we do know that kindergaden exists.

I would like to say that the accelerated learning only lasts until cutie marks have been gained. Or rather that age group. So the CMC have already passed the super learn curve and slowed down to a normal level.

[Soras Teva Gee]

I'd say they are adults, in everything but perhaps mentality. And that only to some degree. They are physically fully grown, and they have adult responsibilities and everything. I'm sure they are also legally considered adults by Equestrian law, if there is such a thing. As you say they just have the privilege of living in a much more carefree world where they are allowed to be a little more childish on occasion. Still, as I said earlier, aside from those occasional "juvenile" moments they all act like adults most of the time. Except perhaps Pinkie.

I'd say that if Equestria has a legal age of majority then it is relatively lower then the USA's 18. Of course our wonderful pony uptopia I'm sure will never bring up the question of say child support in the event of divorce. I suspect though any pony showing sufficient ability to is allowed to live alone if they choose and can get the resources.

I dare say no plausible age (since they are officially vague) can resolve all the issues. Rarity will remain oddly successful, while Fluttershy still has no visible means of income. And 4/6 have Friends Rent Control.

[Topaz]

I don't have anything relevant to say about pony lifespans, so have some more steampunk Lyra:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bRaJENq4QxI/TuUvqbfIuyI/AAAAAAAAXgo/2W9mz3jtiz8/s1600/96623+-+artist+bux+Lyra+steampunk.png

[Deadly]

we are currently involved in a discussion that is trying to figure out a pony life-cycle

Speaking of which
Deady that seems to be more reasonable.

However they still wouldn't learn that much and would know less then a human of the same maturity level. Why? The speed of learning would be limited by their ability to read or listen, both skills need to be learned in the first place as well.

Also we do know that kindergaden exists.

I would like to say that the accelerated learning only lasts until cutie marks have been gained. Or rather that age group. So the CMC have already passed the super learn curve and slowed down to a normal level.

Many things can be learned simply through observation. There's also the possibility that some of the most basic skills are inborn to some degree.

Kindergarten could fit in. Their school years are probably very short and intense. Poor teachers.

The way I imagined it, the accelerated learning would slow down after the first year or two, so that at CMC age they may still be slightly faster learners than humans, but not much, and once adults they're at human levels. But yes, the very extreme learning curve would be between birth and the first year mark. Poor parents.



I'd say that if Equestria has a legal age of majority then it is relatively lower then the USA's 18. Of course our wonderful pony uptopia I'm sure will never bring up the question of say child support in the event of divorce. I suspect though any pony showing sufficient ability to is allowed to live alone if they choose and can get the resources.

I dare say no plausible age (since they are officially vague) can resolve all the issues. Rarity will remain oddly successful, while Fluttershy still has no visible means of income. And 4/6 have Friends Rent Control.

Their economy does appear to be rather peculiar, but that's an entirely different discussion ;)

Another thing I thought of... perhaps it's not that they're childish as such. Maybe adult ponies simply are like that and never outgrow it, maybe their culture is just different than ours. While we may consider them childish at times, other ponies probably think they're perfectly normal adults. If that makes sense? My mind is pretty tired right now... kinda very late at night.

[BlasTech]

Blastech: Nah……..those pictures just look like the ponies are melting :smallfrown:
It makes me depressed that they look like they are melting.

Melting? What? Oh well, if you say so :smallconfused:

Anyway, have some Derpy Beeskee to make up for it then:

Awesome:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_hP2GF-4jQ/TuUv5bfIBSI/AAAAAAAAXjQ/nItBmh2SKSc/s1600/aerial_dominance_by_equestria_prevails-d4irxh8.jpg
Ep 10:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5aGKe7KFmoY/TuUv4htedZI/AAAAAAAAXjI/tShS9HyAl1g/s1600/1323574234.aha-mccoy_muffinhair3.png

And, yes, you just got Derp-rolled!

[Gamerlord]

On the subject of pony maturity:
They live in a fantasy world where the ruler is referred to as a Princess,the weather is hand crafted by the populace,there seems to be a rather large safety net, and all threats to the state can be solved with magic jewelry. Some naivety is to be expected. Then again,maybe it isn't so pleasant ...*New episode stuff*
...There was that siren Spike smashed...
....Why would they have one of those?

[Bayonet Priest]

Melting? What? Oh well, if you say so :smallconfused:

Anyway, have some Derpy Beeskee to make up for it then:

Awesome:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_hP2GF-4jQ/TuUv5bfIBSI/AAAAAAAAXjQ/nItBmh2SKSc/s1600/aerial_dominance_by_equestria_prevails-d4irxh8.jpg
Ep 10:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5aGKe7KFmoY/TuUv4htedZI/AAAAAAAAXjI/tShS9HyAl1g/s1600/1323574234.aha-mccoy_muffinhair3.png

And, yes, you just got Derp-rolled!

Rarity did look kind of melty, the others less so for some reason.

And I love badass general Derpy. Those Equestria Prevails pics are some of my favorite fanart.

[otakuryoga]

bah..blastech already posted it

i know someone was askin how long til we saw Derpy tryin to eat the new Dr's hair

but this one wasnt posted
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/345/c/a/wait_a_minute____by_i6nis-d4itv0w.png

[SiuiS]

Another thing I thought of... perhaps it's not that they're childish as such. Maybe adult ponies simply are like that and never outgrow it, maybe their culture is just different than ours. While we may consider them childish at times, other ponies probably think they're perfectly normal adults. If that makes sense? My mind is pretty tired right now... kinda very late at night.

aye. Ponies are, as a culture, naive. I extrapolate this to mean that most sociopolitical pressures that would promote cynicism are mostly non-existent / rare. Sure, there is some bullying, but not only does it seem to be isolated, the expected responses are different. Pinkie Pie throwing a party for Gilda was honestly how pony best behavior goes.

Really, it's interesting to think about how we can have a utopian society where distress between friends is as / more important than a raging typhoon, and full of naivete and cuddles, and still allow for the citizens of said utopia to cope with harsher, outside civilizations.

[Titanium Fox]

So, in Lieu of the quote post... Since I have ALL OF THE THINGS to do... I'm just going to post my thoughts on the recent episodes.

S2E9

I really wasn't that much of a fan of this one as a whole. With the exception of a few specific incidents (putting off the dress, lying to Twilight in the letter), she was perfectly justified in wanting to go to the Garden party, and hob knob with the elite of Equestrian society. She's a fashion designer for Celestia's sake. And she was completely in the right not exactly wanting her (admittedly) insane friends running around the party, and doing, well... What they normally do.

The takeaway lesson should have come from Rarity winding up having a falling out with Twilight over the repeated lies, and the lesson should have been something about forgiveness. But as it stands, the way things wound up working out... It never would work out that way in the real world. The things that should have come back to bite Rarity in the flank never did. (Again, the dress, the lies, the hiding things.) It could have also been an episode about Honesty and it's values.

S2E10
Running Thoughts:
OH MY GOD SPIKE'S DEMON FACE

...His hair is a muffin.

This may be the most incompetent doctor I've ever seen.

"Maybe you should try a vet"? Are dragons typically kept as pets?

Spike is half Dragon, half Dog?

Really? Zecora? Twilight, what is wrong with you. Maybe look in one of your books? You should have been able to put this together...

Huh! That's actually pretty cool. In this continuity the horde is the cause of growth and maturity, not a symptom of it.

Somehow I feel like Rarity is going to be the one to permanently snap him out of it... Element of Generosity?

...Okay, Spike looks horrifying like that. Holy crap.

I was about to say... Did you really think you were going to hold him in there?

AND THIS IS WHY RAINBOW IS BEST PONY.

The entire chicken coop? Really? Wow, I'm kind of impressed.

GO PINKIE PIE! GO! YEAH, WOOHOO!

"I'm not giving him cake! I'm assaulting him with cake!" Best quote ever.

THAT FACE

Twilight, you have more magical power than anypony in the world. Why do you not just... Pick him up? The ursa Minor was smaller than that...

...Damsel in distress. I am strangely okay with this. It's making me laugh more than it should be.

I am so glad the Wonderbolts got their time in the spotlight.

You know for a second I thought he was going to take the entire mountain?

...They just sheared his spines right off. That is kind of badass.

Also, Spike is now King Kong. I see what they did there, and I love it.

No Spike, not the ruby...

Oh, okay. GOOD.

I kind of wish that /some/ growth had stayed, but...

The look on Rainbow's face. "YOU'RE COMING WITH ME."

HE'S GONNA SAY IT. :smallbiggrin:

The poor Wonderbolts always get the short end of the stick...

Fluttershy is made of HNNNG in that cloak.

Overall:
Overall I really liked this episode. A lot. It was adorable, and everything seemed to fit fantastically. Plus it actually felt like it helped build the world and setting a lot more as well. They introduced a lot without making it feel contrived and forced, and I'm REALLY glad to see they brought back some old favorites, as well as building on the relationship between Rarity and Spike.

---

Well, it's back to getting everything ready for the Ode to Daniel Ingram event at BroNYcon. :smallbiggrin:

[Alabenson]

I'd say that if Equestria has a legal age of majority then it is relatively lower then the USA's 18. Of course our wonderful pony uptopia I'm sure will never bring up the question of say child support in the event of divorce. I suspect though any pony showing sufficient ability to is allowed to live alone if they choose and can get the resources.

I dare say no plausible age (since they are officially vague) can resolve all the issues. Rarity will remain oddly successful, while Fluttershy still has no visible means of income. And 4/6 have Friends Rent Control.

I'm not sure that I agree with your assessment that the main cast have friends rent control. For the most part, the main cast's ability to afford their housing can be fairly readily explained.

Twilight: Twilight lives in the library, and presumably works as Poniville's librarian. Furthermore, its reasonable to assume that Celestia pays at least some of her bills.

Pinkie Pie: Pinkie Pie lives with the Cakes, who according to Word of God see Pinkie as family. Thus, it can be assumed that Pinkie pays either little or no rent. (Where she gets the money for party supplies remains a mystery that will likely never be solved)

Applejack: Applejack lives on her family farm, which has every indication of being fairly successful.

Rainbow Dash: Rainbow Dash seems to be Poniville's primary weather pony, based on her being the weather team leader during Winter Wrap Up, and thus can be assumed to make at least a decent wage. Furthermore, she lives in a cloud home that seems to be outside of Poniville proper. Given the limited pegasus population of Poniville, it can be assumed that the demand, and therefore the prices, for cloud homes in Poniville would be fairly low, and its location outside of Poniville proper could further reduce its value.

Rarity: Like Applejack, Rarity lives in her place of business, and at this point we can assume Rarity is at least moderately successful.

Fluttershy: I'm still at a loss for what Fluttershy does for a living, however, her cottage seems to be located extremely close to the Everfree Forest. Given how most ponies feel about the forest, one can assume that the property value of Fluttershy's cottage is fairly low.

[Topaz]

For anypony that's interested, Part Six (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XrRiQu7wYwHo9SIpnHmN-8tdd8XmRcHBy9YhWnpDQ3A/edit) of my fanfic New Perspectives (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ll41KaYXH46C46sTaz-FVJOY3avna9-ABgw2EPzImp4/edit) is up on Google Docs, and also posted below; as always, any comments or spotting of crimes against grammar are appreciated. :smallbiggrin:

As they walked from the library, Applejack cleared her throat. “Fluttershy?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks, fer showin’ me about preenin’ an all. You were right, it’s a lot more comfortable that way.”

“You’re quite welcome.” The yellow pony looked at Applejack’s pinions and nodded. “You’re doing a good job; your wings look very neat.”

“Yeah, well, I guess it’s not like Ah’ve done much to get ‘em out of place, ‘cept sleepin’ on em.”

“You should. Your wings are good wings. They’re strong wings. Give them a chance, and they’ll do you proud.”

“Fluttershy?”

Applejack got a shy smile in return. “I have to get some new shopping bags. I’ll come by later, OK?” and with that Fluttershy turned and trotted down the street.

“Guess she’s got a point.” Applejack muttered to herself as she headed for the spot where the family apple cart was set up. Glancing around, she noticed that the number of looks she was getting had fallen off considerably. “Third day and already the novelty is wearin’ off. That’s life in Ponyville, Ah reckon.”

As she approached the cart, she saw Macintosh filling an applesauce order for Rose while Apple Bloom stacked bags of apple chips at the front of the display. She waited for their customer to walk away before trotting up. “Hey you two, looks like you’re doin’ good business!” she greeted her siblings.

They looked their sister over. “Thought you were gonna be back to normal,” Bic Mac commented.

“Welcome ta the new normal. The Princesses themselves say there’s nothin’ can be done.”

Apple Bloom was bouncing up and down, “So you’re gonna stay a pegasus?”

“And Fluttershy stays an earth pony, so keep a rein on that enthusiasm, sis.”

“Sorry. So what are you gonna do now?”

“Sell apple products, and let Mac get back to the farm.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

Applejack shook her head. “Ah haven’t thought about it, truth ta tell. We still got Sweet Apple Acres to attend to, regardless.”

“You want me to tell Granny?” Big Mac asked. “Give the idea time to settle in before you get home.”

“Give her time ta have mah things thrown out in the road, ya mean?”

He snorted. “Told you, it’s not the same as with Fuji.”

“Who’s Fuji?” Apple Bloom interjected.

The older ponies froze. “Me and my big mouth,” Mac muttered.

Applejack sighed. “You never met Fuji, AB. She’d be, lemme see, yer second cousin once removed, if Ah got it figured right. Younger than our folks, older than Mac, here. She used ta be in charge of lookin’ after the young’uns at the Apple Family reunions; Ah liked her a lot.”

“Did... something happen to her?”

“You could say that. She got ta know one of her local weather pegasai, they fell in love, and they got married.”

“Oh. Then something bad happened?”

Applejack and Big Mac looked at each other, then both looked away for a moment, embarrassed. Finally Applejack spoke. “Ya gotta remember, Applebloom, this was a ways back, before you were even born.”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

“The heads of the Apple branches, um, they decided that by marryin’ a pegasus, Fuji had left the family.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, pegasai, they’re not farmers. They don’t grow things.”

“Fluttershy does. Did. You know what I mean. And isn’t there a pegasus that grows grape vines around here?”

Applejack kicked the ground. “Yeah. Ah was just a filly, not even your age then. When Fuji wasn’t at the next reunion, Ah asked why. Nobody would talk about it, till her little brother took me aside and told me about it.”

“That’s dumb.” Apple Bloom said emphatically.

“Reckon yer right, AB.”

“So did you ever hear from her again?”

“Not directly. Ah’d hear bits and pieces over the years, how she had a couple of foals, an earth pony colt and a pegasus filly, and far as Ah know she’s doin’ all right.”

“Well, that’s good at least.” Apple Bloom replied. She thought for a moment, then her eyes grew wide as she made the connections between what her brother and sister had been saying. “Wait a minute. Are you sayin’ that you’re gonna be kicked out of the family for gettin’ turned into a pegasus?”

“Ah didn’t say that, exactly... but you saw how Granny took it when Ah came home with wings.”

“She doesn’t run the farm any more. You and Mac do.”

“She’s still head of our branch of the Apple Family, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom stepped up to her sister, ears laid back and mouth grim. “I don’t care! If you get kicked out of the family, then I’m goin’ out of the family with you!”

“Eeyup.” added Big Mac.

Applejack looked between her siblings, emotions playing over her face. “You two are talkin’ crazy. Ya cain’t just leave the family like that!”

“Wouldn’t be leaving them. They’d be leaving us.” Mac drawled.

“That’s right. I’d rather change my name to, to Pomme Floraison than not have you for my sister. Nopony gets to do that, not even Granny!” Apple Bloom added.

“Ah... Dang it, Ah got somethin’ in my eye here.” Applejack wiped at her eyes with a hoof.
“I bet cousin Fuji would let us be part of her family. We should go visit her instead of goin’ to the regular reunion.”

“Oh mah stars. That’s just two weeks away, ain’t it? Plum slipped mah mind. No wonder Granny was so put out.”

“So what are ya gonna do?” asked Apple Bloom.

Applejack shook her head. “Fer now, Ah’m not gonna worry about it. Takin’ care of the farm is the most important thing.” She looked around, noticing several ponies waiting a short distance away. “And not scarin’ away customers is part of that. Step up, the best apple products around for sale here!”

Big Mac turned toward the road. “Won’t say anything to Granny, then. You want me ta come back at closing time?”

“Nah, Ah kin handle the harness, now that Ah know what not ta do.”

“See you at home, then. Don’t forget to eat lunch.”

“Not a chance of that.”

Applejack spent the next few hours answering the same questions from curious ponies while making sales: yes, she and Fluttershy would be staying the way they were now; no, she hadn’t gotten the hang of flying yet but yes, she intended to learn; yes, she intended to keep working the farm and no, she didn’t know how being a pegasus would affect that yet; and no, she didn’t plan on changing teams for Winter Wrap-Up but that was a ways don’t the road. In the middle of it Apple Bloom’s fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders showed up, and Applejack sent them off with the rest of the day-old apple muffins and an admonition to be careful, to which the fillies gave their usual breezy assurances.

It was after the usual lunch time, and Applejack’s stomach rumbled as she looked over a depleted apple cart. “Ah guess this whole thing didn’t hurt business none. Guess Ah can afford to take a little time off.” She shut up the cart, hung up an Out To Lunch sign on it, and headed over to Sugarcube Corner.

Entering the shop, she noted that the lunch rush seemed to be over in there as well, with Pinkie Pie behind the counter of an otherwise empty shop. “Howdy, Pinkie. What ya got that’s sweet and substantial?”

“Ooh, we still have some chocolate chip banana nut bread left and that should put some spring in your wings!”

“Sounds like a plan. Ah’ll have it for here, thanks.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie! Mind if I join you?” Pinkie stuck her head through the kitchen door and called “Mrs. Cake, I’m taking my break now!” before grabbing up the banana bread platter, two plates, and two bottles of milk and carrying them over to a table. “It’s on me today.”

“Aw, Pinkie, you don’t have ta do that.”

“But I want to do that! Even if you don’t want an Applejack’s A Pegasus Now party, I can at least treat you to lunch.”

Applejack joined Pinkie at the table. “Thanks, sugarcube, Ah appreciate the thought. Ah don’t want anypony ta make a big fuss about this.”

“Because you aren’t sure that your traditional farming family is going to be understanding about your nature.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Oh mah gosh, Pinkie. Ah didn’t think about it, but Ah guess you have a pretty good idea about how Ah’m feelin’ right now. Come to think of it, you’re a quarter pegasus yourself, ain’tcha?”

“You remembered about Granny Pie! Sometimes I wonder how things might of been if Daddy had been a pegasus, but the I think that’s silly, because then I’d be somepony else, and if I wasn’t me then who would be?”

Applejack laughed. “Pinkie, you’re just what Ah needed right now.”

Pinkie smiled back. “So it’s OK if I’m just a teensy weensy bit jealous?” she said quietly. “Don’t tell Fluttershy.”

“It’s our secret. You were right about the bread, by the way. Hits the spot.”

***

After cleaning up from breakfast, Rarity decided to take advantage of market day to restock her larder, levitating her shopping bags from stall to stall and shop to shop with practiced ease as she picked through the edibles offered. It didn’t take long for her to also pick up the gossip of the day, which not surprisingly contained that morning’s development in Applejack and Fluttershy’s situation. Following the trail of talk to the grain store, she was rewarded by the sight of Fluttershy emerging well-laden from the entrance.

“Goodness, Fluttershy, would you like some help with that?”

“Oh, good morning Rarity! I wanted to thank you again for your gifts, especially since it seems that I’ll be getting good use out of them from now on.”

“So I had gathered. Is there anything I can do for you, dear?”

“Well, if you get a chance could you go by Applejack’s cart and let her know that I won’t be by today after all? I got such a good deal on corn feed and I need to take all my purchases back home.”

“Most certainly, but are you sure that’s all you need?”

“Yes, please, if you don’t mind. If I don’t see you again today, we’re still on for the spa tomorrow, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“See you later, then.” smiled Fluttershy, turning and stepping smartly down the road towards her home.

Rarity watched the yellow pony leave. “She certainly seems to be taking all this rather well,” she mused.

***

Rainbow Dash hadn’t slept especially well. She couldn’t remember the exact details from her nightmares; she was fairly sure that plummeting was involved, but whether it was her, Fluttershy, or even Applejack doing it wasn’t clear. Fortunately, the weather schedule was clear (barring anything unexpected blowing in from the Everfree), so she had the luxury of taking her sweet time pulling herself together in the morning and making sure her wings were in tip-top condition before launching herself from her cloud home down into Ponyville for a late breakfast (or for most other ponies, an early lunch).

Circling over the town as she set course for Sugarcube Corner, she caught sight of a familiar yellow pony; she was wearing oversized saddlebags, but Rainbow didn’t see any sign of wings. Angling across the marketplace, she spotted Applejack talking to her siblings, still obviously a pegasus. “Taking their sweet time about it.” she muttered as she swooped down to a landing.

Walking into the bakery, she got in line behind a couple of other customers who were chatting with Pinkie Pie at the counter.

“Yeah, I heard it too, Bon Bon came in and she heard it directly from Fluttershy while they were buying sugar.”

“Heard what?” Rainbow put in.
“Oh, hi Dashie! We were talking about Fluttershy and Applejack, they’re telling everypony that they have to stay the way they are.”

“What? You mean Fluttershy doesn’t get her wings back?”

“Nopey-wopey, but from how I heard it she...” but Dash was already back out the door.

Rocketing into the air, it struck Rainbow that she had no idea what she should do. She was really upset, but it made no sense to her to be mad at Fluttershy and she’d given up on being mad at Applejack. Only one other possibility occurred to her, so she shot toward the library tree, bursting through the front door.

Spike jumped his own height into the air at the sudden intrusion. “Aah! What the...?”

“Spike! Where’s Twilight?”

“Ah, well, uh, now’s not a good time.”

Twilight walked in from the next room. “It’s all right, Spike.” she said, wiping her face with a hoof.

Rainbow took in the sight of the purple unicorn. “Twilight? Have you been... crying?”

Spike started to say something, but Twilight held up a hoof to stop him. “Yes. Yes, I have. I’ve been bawling my eyes out like a little filly, as a matter of fact.” she answered.

“Oh.” Between losing sleep and the amount of mood whiplash she’d been through, Dash was starting to feel dizzy. “Um, sorry?”

“It’s not anything you did, Rainbow.”

“I... That’s good, I guess.”

“But you’re not the only one that hates losing.”

“Excuse me?”

“I assume from the way you burst in here that you heard the latest about Fluttershy and Applejack.”

“Well, yeah.”

“So you know that we couldn’t do anything. Not me, not the magic college, not the, the Princesses, not all the horns in the world could do a bucking thing.”

Rainbow walked up to Twilight and looked her in the eyes. “I know you did everything you could, Twi. You’re the most awesome unicorn in Equestria.”

“I don’t feel very awesome, but thanks.”

“Trust me, I’m an expert on awesome.” Dash rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “Look, you want to get some lunch? We can go over to that café you like. My treat. You too, Spike, to make up for startling you like that.”

“That would be nice. Just let me wash my face and brush my mane.”

“Sure.”

[Lord Raziere]

How I explain anything in My Little Pony is this: its a literal magical ponyland with people who gain tattoos by discovering who they are, dragons grow faster the greedier they get and the god of chaos is a statue. there are probably some faeries around here to, the faeries did it, the faeries do everything.

yup, thats my explanation for everything in FiM: faeries did it.

[MCerberus]

My view about pony money:

Pinkie: The cakes likely pay her for the bakings and the cakes seem to put up well with her shenanigans. Aside from being like family, Pinkie also brings in a lot of catering work and renting the shop for parties to justify her paycheck.

Rarity: By this point Rarity has to be a well-payed designer and can sell off gems if she needs money. She has 'lines' and designs for the most famous ponies.

Applejack: Obvious sources. Profits may seem a bit thin at times, but you'll notice she doesn't spend much on herself.

Twilight: Government job, plain and simple. Likely with an expense account that helps with the 'mass destruction of all the locals hold dear'.

Rainbow Dash: Working for those that control the weather coordinating the big stuff and taking care of general clouditude solo.

Fluttershy: Park ranger, guide, and veterinarian. She may be one to spend lots of bits taking care of animals, but that in turn brings people to keep their pets healthy.

[Istari]

Can't find the full picture, but the super learning speed would explain this
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7610/confoundtheseponies29.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/153/confoundtheseponies29.png/)

[Soras Teva Gee]

Many things can be learned simply through observation. There's also the possibility that some of the most basic skills are inborn to some degree.

Kindergarten could fit in. Their school years are probably very short and intense. Poor teachers.

The way I imagined it, the accelerated learning would slow down after the first year or two, so that at CMC age they may still be slightly faster learners than humans, but not much, and once adults they're at human levels. But yes, the very extreme learning curve would be between birth and the first year mark. Poor parents.

I think you are underestimating the sort of effect that accelerating development of pony lives to be quicker then humans would have. Because it would have to underpin every single element of pony society and psychology. Can we plausibly have ponies with as much in common with humans in their approach even to a single day when they have a third of the time frame to live their lives in?

Think about it, age underpins an enormous amount of the mindset for humanity, with highly anthropomorphic creatures it only makes sense to pin their lives to human-esque spans.

[Forum Explorer]

Many things can be learned simply through observation. There's also the possibility that some of the most basic skills are inborn to some degree.

Kindergarten could fit in. Their school years are probably very short and intense. Poor teachers.

The way I imagined it, the accelerated learning would slow down after the first year or two, so that at CMC age they may still be slightly faster learners than humans, but not much, and once adults they're at human levels. But yes, the very extreme learning curve would be between birth and the first year mark. Poor parents.




Their economy does appear to be rather peculiar, but that's an entirely different discussion ;)

Another thing I thought of... perhaps it's not that they're childish as such. Maybe adult ponies simply are like that and never outgrow it, maybe their culture is just different than ours. While we may consider them childish at times, other ponies probably think they're perfectly normal adults. If that makes sense? My mind is pretty tired right now... kinda very late at night.

Observation is generally a slower way of learning things then being taught it. So it just takes up time.



But I like your second idea. I don't think the adult ponies do outgrow this attitude except in rare cases. Look at the background ponies when they mobbed Twilight for a ticket to the GGG or how they panicked about Zecora to bunny stampede.


Liked the new Chapter in New Perspectives. I'm pretty curios to see where the plot is going.

[legomaster00156]

For anypony that's interested, Part Six (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XrRiQu7wYwHo9SIpnHmN-8tdd8XmRcHBy9YhWnpDQ3A/edit) of my fanfic New Perspectives (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ll41KaYXH46C46sTaz-FVJOY3avna9-ABgw2EPzImp4/edit) is up on Google Docs, and also posted below; as always, any comments or spotting of crimes against grammar are appreciated. :smallbiggrin:
I'm reading through the fanfic and writing my own at the same time. I'll get back to you when I'm caught up.

On the subject of my fanfic, I still require 1 party-themed song for Vinyl to play. Anyone care to offer one up?

[Spamotron]

aye. Ponies are, as a culture, naive. I extrapolate this to mean that most sociopolitical pressures that would promote cynicism are mostly non-existent / rare. Sure, there is some bullying, but not only does it seem to be isolated, the expected responses are different. Pinkie Pie throwing a party for Gilda was honestly how pony best behavior goes.

Really, it's interesting to think about how we can have a utopian society where distress between friends is as / more important than a raging typhoon, and full of naivete and cuddles, and still allow for the citizens of said utopia to cope with harsher, outside civilizations.

Well the fact that Equestria's rulers have absolute control of the Sun and the Moon probably helps. And the ponies themselves are pretty hardcore. The average pony has both supernatural strength and durability by our standards even non athletes like Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. A quarter to a third of the population has spell casting ability on some level.

I think its just that any local civilizations stupid enough to pick a fight with Equestria were wiped out generations ago.

Now there's an idea a "Ferengi" style race that realizes that it would be crushed in direct conflict but tries to exploit the Ponies naivety and generally trusting nature's to swindle Equestria out of every last bit.

[Istari]

I'm reading through the fanfic and writing my own at the same time. I'll get back to you when I'm caught up.

On the subject of my fanfic, I still require 1 party-themed song for Vinyl to play. Anyone care to offer one up?


A couple suggestions
Fire Burning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkyhvCdJ_vM)
Just Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Abk1jAONjw&ob=av3n)

[legomaster00156]

A couple suggestions
Fire Burning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkyhvCdJ_vM)
Just Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Abk1jAONjw&ob=av3n)
Thanks. I've chosen Fire Burning. :smallsmile:

[SiuiS]

property values.

I am confused. See, absent any reason to think otherwise...

Couldn't a pony literally just build a house wherever and live in it? Especially Dashie. Her cloud house is the Pegasus version of a log cabin. She did a little study, gathered up cloudstuff, and made it herself.

I could easily see Ponyville running as a pseudocommune of sorts, where so long as you put into the pot you can take from the pot. Bits are a side currency used for exchange between cities, bu in Ponyville Rarity could sit and eat at any resturaunt she chooses, because everypony knows her, and that she deals with clothing, decoration, and fashion in general. And almost any ponycan daunted up and ask for help; they only have to pay for the premium stuff, like a Gala-worthy dress.

[legomaster00156]

Or a replacement barn, plow, or hip. :smalltongue:

[Capt. Ido Nos]

Ep thoughts as they happened:
just saw derpy
also spike's massive swag hat
also that pony's talent is ice cream
oh man, named and voiced side ponies, cue the fanbase
OH SNAP GROWTH SPURT
also the vet is the same va as spike, which is some kind of distracting
hey look, it's surprise
also, dang spike
spike your handwriting is horrible
oh my gosh, fluttercape
i mean
just
i just look at that, and I can't hellp buHHHHHHHNNNNNNGGGGG

great episode!

[Soras Teva Gee]

I'm not sure that I agree with your assessment that the main cast have friends rent control. For the most part, the main cast's ability to afford their housing can be fairly readily explained.

Twilight: Twilight lives in the library, and presumably works as Poniville's librarian. Furthermore, its reasonable to assume that Celestia pays at least some of her bills.

Pinkie Pie: Pinkie Pie lives with the Cakes, who according to Word of God see Pinkie as family. Thus, it can be assumed that Pinkie pays either little or no rent. (Where she gets the money for party supplies remains a mystery that will likely never be solved)

Applejack: Applejack lives on her family farm, which has every indication of being fairly successful.

Rainbow Dash: Rainbow Dash seems to be Poniville's primary weather pony, based on her being the weather team leader during Winter Wrap Up, and thus can be assumed to make at least a decent wage. Furthermore, she lives in a cloud home that seems to be outside of Poniville proper. Given the limited pegasus population of Poniville, it can be assumed that the demand, and therefore the prices, for cloud homes in Poniville would be fairly low, and its location outside of Poniville proper could further reduce its value.

Rarity: Like Applejack, Rarity lives in her place of business, and at this point we can assume Rarity is at least moderately successful.

Fluttershy: I'm still at a loss for what Fluttershy does for a living, however, her cottage seems to be located extremely close to the Everfree Forest. Given how most ponies feel about the forest, one can assume that the property value of Fluttershy's cottage is fairly low.

Twi and AJ are the 2/6 can reasonably support their lifestyle through having the direct patronage of the principality and family possessions.

I can almost give RD a pass because she could conceivably have put her house together herself, since its yah know clouds and all. Not seeing inside it makes this hard to judge and a lot of its outside. And we can infer she's good at her job from being a team leader at Winter Wrap Up so that gives her plausible income from an important job. And she's shown the second most prodigal talent among the Mane 6.

Fluttershy is not native and has a nice cottage, but she has no visible income and while inferring from the latest episode is not a vet or Twi would go there so that was out.

Now Rarity here's the thing. Putting aside anyone owning their own small business, its not that small. Carosel Boutique is enormous. Even putting aside the Tardis architecture... look at the size of its kitchen! Its laundry room is big enough to be a reasonable bedroom in an upper middle-class home. The place manages to be the sort of home anypony could be satisfied with the size of... on top of its absolutely ginormous gallery business front.

Check out the amount of some small businesses, like a clothing shop at the mall. Even more space consuming businesses like restaurants, their dining room is fully half of their space and everything else is crammed in to what's left.

Pinkie is a subtler example, if we grant that she's subletting the space she still has a positively huge apartment in Sugarcube Corner. You wouldn't want to host a Pinkie scale party in the sort of plausible single bedroom space she should have for the another small business.

Fluttershy's is probably the worst of the lot with her lack of plausible income, but we can inferr she only has one bedroom so I'd almost put Rarity in the same boat.

[MCerberus]

Let's not forget the Ponyville has a lot of money coming in from the massive every-other-week millions of bits in princess funded repairs. The royal accountants are not happy, mostly Luna and her abacus.

[Alabenson]

I am confused. See, absent any reason to think otherwise...

Couldn't a pony literally just build a house wherever and live in it? Especially Dashie. Her cloud house is the Pegasus version of a log cabin. She did a little study, gathered up cloudstuff, and made it herself.

I could easily see Ponyville running as a pseudocommune of sorts, where so long as you put into the pot you can take from the pot. Bits are a side currency used for exchange between cities, bu in Ponyville Rarity could sit and eat at any resturaunt she chooses, because everypony knows her, and that she deals with clothing, decoration, and fashion in general. And almost any ponycan daunted up and ask for help; they only have to pay for the premium stuff, like a Gala-worthy dress.

That could work too. I was working under the assumption that Ponyville had a moder capitalist economy. Mainly I was responding to the contention that, on the surface, the main cast could not afford their housing.

[legomaster00156]

I can see Fluttershy as running a sort of farm/pet daycare business. She has a chicken coop with egg baskets, and I think it's reasonable to assume she would sell some of the eggs. As much of a friend to all living things that she is, she still simply can't keep track of a couple hundred chickens running around. In addition, she's obviously quite well-known as the go-to mare if you need an animal trained or taken care of, due to her large plot of land and ability to commune with animals.

[TheAmishPirate]

And now for something completely different:

Swagburn:

http://i.imgur.com/Jerar.png

[MCerberus]

I'm about 3 minutes into the episode. There seems to be something odd... I think...
Spike ha- FOREVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEERRRRRRR

[Titanium Fox]

WHY DID ANNOTATING THIS TAKE FOUR HOURS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkOyuhJEhqc)

[Forum Explorer]

Fridge Logic: Twilight didn't take Spike to Fluttershy because she's scared of dragons. :smallsmile:

[legomaster00156]

Ah, I finally have the second (and last) chapter of Music to My Ears complete. For those interested, you may read it here (http://legomaster00156.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4ivhbh). I encourage reviews, positive or negative (as long as negative reviews are constructive, of course).

[Thanqol]

Back home, some things:

I got interviewed for the Pony Fiction Vault (http://www.ponyfictionvault.net/2011/12/thanqols-old-stories.html). I feel like a big internet celebrity.

Secondly, I wrote a huge amount for Long Distance (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lu-4MmJbfFK4nSPvCQj7paxx_bXKhzvL-h4bp6p0SrY/edit?hl=en_US) while I was out.

Finally, ponies.

[Newman]

I for one think Fluttershy is a government-paid "gamekeeper". I ship her with Hagrid.

[Thanqol]

Ah, I finally have the second (and last) chapter of Music to My Ears complete. For those interested, you may read it here (http://legomaster00156.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4ivhbh). I encourage reviews, positive or negative (as long as negative reviews are constructive, of course).

Chapter 1 thoughts:

Intro is really turning me off. It's heavy on the telling and light on the showing and I'm not really getting any details that set the scene for me. You're leaning too heavily on people knowing what you're talking about.

Octavia speaks really awkwardly. Is this an intentional choice? Try reading that sentence out loud, including punctuation.

Also, who's story is this? Who's viewpoint are we following? Pick a character, narrow it down, and colour all the descriptive text through their eyes. "Sugarcube corner" to a generic, impersonal audience is generic and impersonal. Octavia's opinion of Sugarcube Corner is fascinating.


"Blegh. I hate wagon rides," the purple harpist complained. "I am feeling nauseous."

Try reading that out loud. It sounds robotic.


"When Nightmare Moon was sent to the moon. Yes, I know about the legends. They're not exactly uncommon knowledge," Octavia replied. "Plus, we were there for both of their freedoms. Do you know how hard it is to practice my cello when all the music sheets have been flipped backwards? And every note hangs in the air for hours? And the strings make a different noise every time I run across them? Still, I didn't even get the worst of it. Some ponies themselves got, as the term goes, 'Discorded'. Did you hear about poor Screwball?"

Holy expositionblock batman. That's a lot of very specific information to be volunteering with virtually no prompting. Makes Octy sound like a self-absorbed jerk.


"I'm going to go up there and have them turn it down a few decibals. I shall be back in a moment," she said. Forte merely nodded.

Awfully crisp for being woken up in the middle of the night.


And this is about the point where my real issue with this piece has fully formed. Who's story is it? Everypony's being written like they're NPCs or bit players. We don't know anything about any of them. With a character like Octavia, she's a blank slate except for the personality the fanon gives her, and thus far you haven't given her a personality. You need to define her, everything about her, through your writing.

Take her perspective. Understand her mind. What does she think of what's happening around her? How does she feel? Has she seen this before? Will she see this again? Figure out the shape of her mind and put yourself there and then write everything like she was telling you about it.

Every word and descriptive detail should tell us about the character.


Octavia signed it, every now and then glancing at the odd pony. She then handed it back, and Lyra got hearts in her eyes.

Visual gags in a written medium simply do not work.


My overall recommendation is to do a character study and some immersion exercises. Try roleplaying. Try thinking like someone else, try being someone else. Work out what words and phrases and idioms they use. This is a hard and complicated thing to do, but it's a skill absolutely worth learning. PBPs are a good format for training this.

[Gaelbert]

That could work too. I was working under the assumption that Ponyville had a moder capitalist economy. Mainly I was responding to the contention that, on the surface, the main cast could not afford their housing.

No no no no. Equestria definitely does not have anything resembling a modern capitalist economy. Equestria doesn't have an economy resembling anything I can think of, honestly. Some weird blend of feudalism and early stage capitalism with some communitarianism thrown in. I haven't looked at it in depth, but I can tell it's something of a mess.
Just going off the top of my head, in Applebuck Season Twilight, using magic, in a few seconds did the equivalent of several earthpony days of working.


Now Rarity here's the thing. Putting aside anyone owning their own small business, its not that small. Carosel Boutique is enormous. Even putting aside the Tardis architecture... look at the size of its kitchen! Its laundry room is big enough to be a reasonable bedroom in an upper middle-class home. The place manages to be the sort of home anypony could be satisfied with the size of... on top of its absolutely ginormous gallery business front.

Check out the amount of some small businesses, like a clothing shop at the mall. Even more space consuming businesses like restaurants, their dining room is fully half of their space and everything else is crammed in to what's left.

So what you're saying is that her clothing business is actually a front for something much shadier?
(I know that has nothing to do with what you're saying, I just like the idea)




aye. Ponies are, as a culture, naive. I extrapolate this to mean that most sociopolitical pressures that would promote cynicism are mostly non-existent / rare. Sure, there is some bullying, but not only does it seem to be isolated, the expected responses are different. Pinkie Pie throwing a party for Gilda was honestly how pony best behavior goes.

Really, it's interesting to think about how we can have a utopian society where distress between friends is as / more important than a raging typhoon, and full of naivete and cuddles, and still allow for the citizens of said utopia to cope with harsher, outside civilizations.

I'd shy away from the use of "utopian" when describing their government. Historically, proposed utopias have almost always been dictatorships. We simply don't see that in Equestria. (And no, I'm not a fan of the Iron Hoof theories.)


Fridge Logic: Twilight didn't take Spike to Fluttershy because she's scared of dragons. :smallsmile:
Please put this in spoilers, I put them in for this quote, but we haven't hit Tuesday yet. Don't want to ruin something for anypony.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Fridge Logic: Twilight didn't take Spike to Fluttershy because she's scared of dragons. :smallsmile:

You mean Fridge Brilliance. :smallsmile: Fridge Logic is the opposite, when it seems to make sense but when you think about it then it really doesn't.

[Kindablue]

I'd shy away from the use of "utopian" when describing their government. Historically, proposed utopias have almost always been dictatorships. We simply don't see that in Equestria. (And no, I'm not a fan of the Iron Hoof theories.)

"Utopia" is Greek for there is no place, so I think the word describes any magical land of talking animals pretty well, regardless of their chosen form of government.

[the_druid_droid]

"Utopia" is Greek for there is no place, so I think the word describes any magical land of talking animals pretty well, regardless of their chosen form of government.

Says you. I'm keeping up my search for magical lands like that...I just need more funding!

[Thanqol]

I'd shy away from the use of "utopian" when describing their government. Historically, proposed utopias have almost always been dictatorships. We simply don't see that in Equestria. (And no, I'm not a fan of the Iron Hoof theories.)

There's such a thing as a benevolent dictatorship, which is pretty much exactly what we got going here. You can't say Equestria's not a dictatorship until you show me the parliament.

The purpose of a republic is to prevent corrupt or incompetent people from holding supreme power. When there's no way for corrupt or incompetent ponies to seize power then there's no need for a republic.

[Mando Knight]

Historically, proposed utopias have almost always been dictatorships. We simply don't see that in Equestria. (And no, I'm not a fan of the Iron Hoof theories.)
A dictatorship is often, in effect, a monarchy by another name. Celestia (and possibly Luna, but we have no idea in canon, outside of her getting to ham it up all across Ponyville...) holds supreme power, though she is rather laissez-faire about it.

[Gaelbert]

There's such a thing as a benevolent dictatorship, which is pretty much exactly what we got going here. You can't say Equestria's not a dictatorship until you show me the parliament.

I should have specified "totalitarian dictatorships of a scale we've never seen, ever." Take a look at proposed utopias from the 18th century. The level of social engineering in those is immense, far beyond the capability of any modern government, and I've seen little to no evidence of that within Equestria. Unless, of course, the social engineering was implemented thousands of years before and was so successful that it took hold for every generation thereafter. But then our "evidence" is having no visible evidence, which doesn't fly for me.


The purpose of a republic is to prevent corrupt or incompetent people from holding supreme power. When there's no way for corrupt or incompetent ponies to seize power then there's no need for a republic.

I'd love to discuss this further with you, as I have a different perspective on the matter, but I'm afraid much more and we'll be over the line as far as the forum rules go.

[Kindablue]

Says you. I'm keeping up my search for magical lands like that...I just need more funding!

You're a fool, Droid!


There's such a thing as a benevolent dictatorship, which is pretty much exactly what we got going here. You can't say Equestria's not a dictatorship until you show me the parliament.

The purpose of a republic is to prevent corrupt or incompetent people from holding supreme power. When there's no way for corrupt or incompetent ponies to seize power then there's no need for a republic.

Right. I mean, I don't think that there was ever a writer's meeting, say, that discussed this, but yeah.

[Spamotron]

I don't think Celestia is a Supreme Dictator because of how she behaves towards them Elements of Harmony. She wants them to grow as ponies by having them fight their own battles and learn from their mistakes. Only stepping in when she absolutely has to. It's also clear that she doesn't like the wall that her status puts between her and other ponies and wishes she could be treated as just one of the girls when she's with them.

Extrapolating from her shown personality Celestia would likely want mortal ponies to handle as much of their own government as they possibly can and not depend on her absolutely. Also its been demonstrated that there are forces in the ponies world as strong as she is and while she's likely immortal she's not invincible and she's too smart not to have redundancy in the government and a solid plan B just in case she runs into something she isn't going to walk away from. Finally she just doesn't want power and is likely to delegate away as much as she can get away with.

[Thanqol]

I should have specified "totalitarian dictatorships of a scale we've never seen, ever." Take a look at proposed utopias from the 18th century. The level of social engineering in those is immense, far beyond the capability of any modern government, and I've seen little to no evidence of that within Equestria. Unless, of course, the social engineering was implemented thousands of years before and was so successful that it took hold for every generation thereafter. But then our "evidence" is having no visible evidence, which doesn't fly for me.

The utopias you're discussing involve social engineering to fundamentally change human nature. With ponies, there's no human nature to change, so we can have a utopia right off the bat.


I'd love to discuss this further with you, as I have a different perspective on the matter, but I'm afraid much more and we'll be over the line as far as the forum rules go.

The actual ideal form of government is a magic based meritocracy, where sorcery is used to determine the best possible application of your life. In a lot of ways, that's what Equestria has. If I was guaranteed a career out of doing the thing I love to do the most, I'd be very happy.

The closest we have to that in the real world is a technocracy, where highly skilled experts are given control over a country. Technocracies have problems in themselves, particularly lack of legitimacy amongst the people and the corruption and fallibility of the technocrats themselves, i.e. failing to understand the limits of their disciplines etc. But the idea of a government by experts is the ideal.

The republic is intended to make rulers accountable and allow the circulation of new ideas. As a form of government it is designed to enable the best possible governance by being adaptable and representative, bringing out truth through debate and constant criticism of power. The republic is like an enormous crucible, both cynical and optimistic. By questioning the lie, we destroy it, and seek the truth. The republic intends a government of experts by solving the problem of who appoints the experts.

In a world where we have what is pretty much objectively the best possible application of resources and government, and the happiest possible populace, then there is no need for a republic. If you want to suggest that a feature of the republic is the inherent freedom implied by allowing anyone to seek the highest office, I'll disagree with you intensely. Leadership is not a privilege, and anyone who seeks it knowing that they will do an objectively worse job than the one already there is by definition being selfish. Pursuit of happiness is a worthy goal, pursuit of power is not.

Celestia's laissez faire attitude inherently allows born leaders to do their bit. Mayor Mare probably isn't elected, she just gravitated to that position because it was her talent. She administers her territory and does it well; presumably the same happens elsewhere due to the inherent ease of the pony meritocracy. The system is in it's best possible manifestation.


Right. I mean, I don't think that there was ever a writer's meeting, say, that discussed this, but yeah.

"So, who's the ruler of the magical land of ponies?"
"A princess."
"Sounds about right."

[Tiki Snakes]

There's nothing weird about the ruler of Equestria being a Princess. It just means that properly speaking, it is (or perhaps was?) a Principality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality).

And yeah, Celestia is over a thousand years old. I'm not going to buy the horse-lifespan concept anytime soon.

[Thanqol]

There's nothing weird about the ruler of Equestria being a Princess. It just means that properly speaking, it is (or perhaps was?) a Principality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality).

And yeah, Celestia is over a thousand years old. I'm not going to buy the horse-lifespan concept anytime soon.

Oh yes, on that topic I refuse to believe ponies live for less than humans. All speculation otherwise shall be ignored by me.

[Kindablue]

Oh yes, on that topic I refuse to believe ponies live for less than humans. All speculation otherwise shall be ignored by me.

I agree. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11945993&postcount=996)

Edit. Not enough pony in this post.
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/344/d/e/_v_by_mr_1-d4irjcu.png (http://my.deviantart.com/messages/#/d4irjcu)

That's better.

[Excession]

Sometimes I just really like the art that this fandom produces (S2E10 minor spoiler):


http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Edit: added soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc). Just imagine it's Octavia playing.

1920x1080 version here (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/96851). Desktop'ed in ten seconds flat.

[Thanqol]

I need to practise my ponies. Can I get some ideas for characters to draw? OCs or otherwise, whatever, post descriptions here and I'll add 'em to a list. My current pony art is somewhere around this level (http://thanqol.deviantart.com/#/d4hjsfk).

More detail is better than less. Personality details are major plusses.

[TheAmishPirate]

I need to practise my ponies. Can I get some ideas for characters to draw? OCs or otherwise, whatever, post descriptions here and I'll add 'em to a list. My current pony art is somewhere around this level (http://thanqol.deviantart.com/#/d4hjsfk).

More detail is better than less. Personality details are major plusses.

Meh. I'm awake this late anyway, may as well potentially reap the benefits of something or other.

Name: Sandy Shores
Race: Unicorn
Special Talent: Sand-sculpting/Sandy working. Sand-based spells come easy to him, and his specialty is hardening sand and sculpting it. ("I just remind the sand it used to be a rock, and there you go.") His cutie mark is a calm shoreline, think a flat wave washing up on a beach. If that's too complicated, a sandcastle could work too.
Coat Color: Pale Blue
Mane Color: Sandy-tan, with darker flecks strewn about. Gives it a sorta grainy appearance. Tail can be the same, or just normal tan is cool too.
Eye Color: Haven't thought that deeply about it. Your choice.
Other Notable descriptions: He's a bit on the short side.

Background: He's a southern, Appleousan-type pony who went away for his degree in beach maintenance, seeing how it was the best job he could find that'd let him work with sand a lot. His accent is all but gone, but he still tends towards the phrases of his hometown.

Personality: Sandy is a hopelessly lost straight man pony amid a world of comical marshmellow ponies. This tends to leave him overreacting over first impressions of a situation. That said, he is rather competent under such stress.

When he's not flipping out over a perceived crisis, he's a stalwart friend who makes a point of always keeping his word, and is rather personable. He loathes arguments, and avoids them at all costs, which usually means stepping down and letting somepony else get their way.



I hope that's not too eclectic. It's a short evalutation of my main RP pony done at 4 in the morning, but I'm trying my best.

[Excession]

I need to practise my ponies. Can I get some ideas for characters to draw? OCs or otherwise, whatever, post descriptions here and I'll add 'em to a list. My current pony art is somewhere around this level (http://thanqol.deviantart.com/#/d4hjsfk).

More detail is better than less. Personality details are major plusses.

Ok. Here's an OC that's been trotting around in my head for a bit.

Name: Silver Dove
Race: Pegasus
Special Talent: Joinery, cabinet making, and carpentry. All in wood.
Coat: silver grey.
Mane/tail: Teal green with stripes or something of grey-violet.
Eyes: Orange.
So in colours he basically looks like a pigeon (http://bristol.indymedia.org/attachments/jul2011/pigeon.jpg). And yes, he's heard all the jokes.
Cutie Mark: A dovetail joint.
Build: Big and tall. More heavy-lift than speed, and his strength was earned in hard work rather than (as he sees it) flapping around in the sky for fun.

Manehatten born pegasus, so he's never quite fit in with his surroundings (except the pigeons). Wings can be pretty useful in an earth pony city though, and he started working in construction even before he got his cutie mark for woodworking. He prefers the finer cabinetry work, but construction was always a good way to earn the bits that his family never had many of.

He has some of Applejack's stubborn belief in hard work and paying his own way, but his artistic side comes through in his quality work when he can afford the raw materials or get a commission. Can be quick to anger, especially when somepony questions his talent because of his race.

He recently moved to Ponyville to try and set up on his own. He'd heard there's a frequent demand for building work out there.

[Thanqol]

Before I start on these I should deal with my backlog, which consists mostly of Wet Mane Midnight.

I'm a man of my worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/964/day208ek.jpg

EDIT: Aha, there's pictures of the NSW meetup

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFP6rNRHY1g/TuXEweqXPpI/AAAAAAAAXmY/2lJqzaLK_js/s1600/1.jpg

Blastech is the handsome devil in the brown jacket. You should be able to recognise my hat. The guy holding the flag is some random we grabbed off the street.

"What is this, like, a rock and roll concert thing?"
"Yeah. Something like that."

He was weirdly understanding when we told him we were into ponies.

[Also, Blastech, if you've got access to more photos could you link them?

Also also, I'm reminded - the song I was recommending, Something Broke (http://soundcloud.com/tarbyrocks/something-broke). ]

[Newman]

... So no love for Fluttershy/Hagrid?

I mean, just look at them: kind, shy, emotional folks who live in some isolation and like children, they love to take care of wild creatures, are extremely nurturing and tender-hearted, always expect the best out of everyone, and are one-of-a-kind in their respective species. The interesting part, the source of conflict, is that Hagrid loves huge intimidating animals, and the huger they are the nicer he thinks they are, while Fluttershy focuses on cutesy wootsey little critters and is very scared of the big 'uns (unless her friends' lives are on the line, then there's an internal limit break of sorts).

Ponyfy Hagrid and make him a Ranger assigned to Everfree (and he'd be so happy there, it's about as bad awesome as the Forbidden Forest, or humanize Fluttershy and... give her whatever role at Hogwarts (seriously, that school is dangerous)l

[Deadly]

Rainbow D'awww! Seriously, this thing is the best!
(source) (http://aphexangel.deviantart.com/art/OMG-RD-BABBY-271510635)
http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/333/e/2/omg_rd_babby_by_aphexangel-d4hney3.png



I think you are underestimating the sort of effect that accelerating development of pony lives to be quicker then humans would have. Because it would have to underpin every single element of pony society and psychology. Can we plausibly have ponies with as much in common with humans in their approach even to a single day when they have a third of the time frame to live their lives in?

Think about it, age underpins an enormous amount of the mindset for humanity, with highly anthropomorphic creatures it only makes sense to pin their lives to human-esque spans.

You forget that it is only fairly recently that humans, or at least most humans, have had any hope of living as long as we do. Perhaps those who were fairly well off could live long, but the majority probably didn't live much longer than 40 I imagine. Don't quote me on the exact numbers, but something like that.

In the pre-modern times people probably squeezed a lot more out of their time. The successful ones anyway, the struggling masses didn't have much choice in what to do with their time except work, work, work. But seriously, just stop for a moment and consider how much of your time you "waste" sitting here discussing fantasies about magical ponies which doesn't matter one bit. I know that personally I spend way too much time on that, time I could have spent studying and making something of my life. Not saying my time is wasted (sometimes, probably) but it's definitely not used as ruthlessly effectively as it could be without modern distractions.

Also look how I extended equestrian expected lifespans to around 60, which is not too far from human lifespans.




Observation is generally a slower way of learning things then being taught it. So it just takes up time.



But I like your second idea. I don't think the adult ponies do outgrow this attitude except in rare cases. Look at the background ponies when they mobbed Twilight for a ticket to the GGG or how they panicked about Zecora to bunny stampede.

Depends on how you learn. The assumption here is that Equestrian foals have some magical super learning ability, where everything they observe simply sticks. This is not the case with humans, we have to see and experience things over and over again before it really sticks. There are a few people who suffer from the inability to forget things, and of course there are people with eidetic memory and stuff like that. Something similar for ponies is what I imagine.





I am confused. See, absent any reason to think otherwise...

Couldn't a pony literally just build a house wherever and live in it? Especially Dashie. Her cloud house is the Pegasus version of a log cabin. She did a little study, gathered up cloudstuff, and made it herself.

I could easily see Ponyville running as a pseudocommune of sorts, where so long as you put into the pot you can take from the pot. Bits are a side currency used for exchange between cities, bu in Ponyville Rarity could sit and eat at any resturaunt she chooses, because everypony knows her, and that she deals with clothing, decoration, and fashion in general. And almost any ponycan daunted up and ask for help; they only have to pay for the premium stuff, like a Gala-worthy dress.

I like this idea. I like it a lot.


Oh yes, on that topic I refuse to believe ponies live for less than humans. All speculation otherwise shall be ignored by me.

Why? :smallconfused: I mean, really, the princesses are obviously way beyond comparison. They're completely outside this discussion. Just because there are immortal god-like beings doesn't mean ponies have to live longer than humans. That doesn't follow.

While I seriously doubt that death and the loss of loved ones will ever be a topic of a lesson in the show, it's an important one that ideally should be examined.

[Bayonet Priest]

Before I start on these I should deal with my backlog, which consists mostly of Wet Mane Midnight.

I'm a man of my worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/964/day208ek.jpg



Midnight is annoyed. Methinks Blueblood II is responsible for this incident.


EDIT: Aha, there's pictures of the NSW meetup

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFP6rNRHY1g/TuXEweqXPpI/AAAAAAAAXmY/2lJqzaLK_js/s1600/1.jpg

Blastech is the handsome devil in the brown jacket. You should be able to recognise my hat. The guy holding the flag is some random we grabbed off the street.

"What is this, like, a rock and roll concert thing?"
"Yeah. Something like that."

He was weirdly understanding when we told him we were into ponies.

I never get tired of that sweet hat Thanqol. And I love that you picked up some random person on the street to hold the flag. Wasn't it you who went around campus and kept asking the student government folks questions about ponies?

[Thanqol]

Why? :smallconfused: I mean, really, the princesses are obviously way beyond comparison. They're completely outside this discussion. Just because there are immortal god-like beings doesn't mean ponies have to live longer than humans. That doesn't follow.

While I seriously doubt that death and the loss of loved ones will ever be a topic of a lesson in the show, it's an important one that ideally should be examined.

In my magical pony utopia, ponies live just as long as humans. I'm not saying there should be no death, and I'm going to be investigating that topic myself, but there's no reason to have them die 'early' even if that's relative. It's not a coherent and reasoned opinion, but I don't think it needs to be.


Midnight is annoyed. Methinks Blueblood II is responsible for this incident.

"The Guide to Dating told me that wet manes are sexy, so maybe THIS will get my beloved in the mood!"


I never get tired of that sweet hat Thanqol. And I love that you picked up some random person on the street to hold the flag. Wasn't it you who went around campus and kept asking the student government folks questions about ponies?

That's me, yo. That's what I do.

[Jahkaivah]

Sometimes I just really like the art that this fandom produces (S2E10 minor spoiler):


http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Edit: added soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc). Just imagine it's Octavia playing.

1920x1080 version here (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/96851). Desktop'ed in ten seconds flat.

You've Been Hit By
You've Been Hit By
A Smooth Cheerilee

[Deadly]

In my magical pony utopia, ponies live just as long as humans. I'm not saying there should be no death, and I'm going to be investigating that topic myself, but there's no reason to have them die 'early' even if that's relative. It's not a coherent and reasoned opinion, but I don't think it needs to be.

Just a personal preference then. Fair enough.

I personally try to use real world horses as a base assumption wherever possible.



Sometimes I just really like the art that this fandom produces (S2E10 minor spoiler):


http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Edit: added soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc). Just imagine it's Octavia playing.

1920x1080 version here (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/96851). Desktop'ed in ten seconds flat.

That thing is beyond cool, and totally replaced my previous background in 10 seconds flat! Actually... a lot faster than that

Also I love creative uses for classical instruments

[Aotrs Commander]

Incidently, one more point to consider is that if ponies have real-world-pony lifespans, they are also going to need to use real-world pony breeding techniques, because they aren't going to be able to rely on finding their One True Partner in one-third the time (human struggle enough as it is...)

At the very least the urge to mate MUST be more MUCH important, as they have far less time to do it in, a vastly smaller window of opportunity. It simply can't work any other way and them still be a viable species. The shorter a creature's lifespan, the more important mating becomes. Creature with shorter lifespans mate sooner and much more often than creatures with longer one.

Which means a) we're likely back to real-world equine harems and going into heat and b) raises the uncomfortable spectre of Rarity becoming "interested" in Spike (a male she has an already standing emotional connection with) and getting the (strong) urges to mate while he's still young...

Incidently, real-world equines are also phyically capable of reproduction at the age of eighteen months (and even domesticated horses start to be bred at age three). Four is generally considered adult, six full adult growth. Which means the CMC are already well into their puberty and sexual maturity, which ever way you look at it. (From the looks of horse-breeding stuff I googled, three would seem to be the generally considered minimum age, and so I would say that would be a good point to extrapolate an age-of-consent for Equestria using real-world equine lifespans.)

Maximum breeding age is also about twenty for horses - so the mane cast are right in the middle of their fertility cycle as "young adults" and all that entails.



And, as I've mentioned before, real-world horses also do not sleep at night (unlike ponies do); they sleep throughout the day and night in small stretches standing up (about three hours per day, with lying down REM sleep and hour or two every few days). Which is again, an adaption of their faster life cycle and requirement for constant grazing, and not one mirrored by ponies (though when they sleep could be explained by the change in diet and lifestyle, the amount they need wouldn't increase).

[Tectonic Robot]

So guys what's going on in-

*Everyone is discussing the nature of the best and proper government.*

*The argument flies above my head*
...I suppose I'll just sit in the corner, then. Don't mind me...

[Titanium Fox]

SO. RANDOM NEWS. I can now be reached by all American and Canadian numbers, for free, at...

*Drum Roll*

(781)-309-PONY

I am way to excited about this. (If you have my old number it still works, don't worry.)

---


My view about pony money:

Pinkie: The cakes likely pay her for the bakings and the cakes seem to put up well with her shenanigans. Aside from being like family, Pinkie also brings in a lot of catering work and renting the shop for parties to justify her paycheck.

Rarity: By this point Rarity has to be a well-payed designer and can sell off gems if she needs money. She has 'lines' and designs for the most famous ponies.

Applejack: Obvious sources. Profits may seem a bit thin at times, but you'll notice she doesn't spend much on herself.

Twilight: Government job, plain and simple. Likely with an expense account that helps with the 'mass destruction of all the locals hold dear'.

Rainbow Dash: Working for those that control the weather coordinating the big stuff and taking care of general clouditude solo.

Fluttershy: Park ranger, guide, and veterinarian. She may be one to spend lots of bits taking care of animals, but that in turn brings people to keep their pets healthy.

Except we see in the new episode Fluttershy can't be the town's veterinarian, since there's another pony that was introduced for that. Even though that pony is very much less competent at animals than Fluttershy.


Well the fact that Equestria's rulers have absolute control of the Sun and the Moon probably helps. And the ponies themselves are pretty hardcore. The average pony has both supernatural strength and durability by our standards even non athletes like Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. A quarter to a third of the population has spell casting ability on some level.

I think its just that any local civilizations stupid enough to pick a fight with Equestria were wiped out generations ago.

Now there's an idea a "Ferengi" style race that realizes that it would be crushed in direct conflict but tries to exploit the Ponies naivety and generally trusting nature's to swindle Equestria out of every last bit.

This. So much this. Since they no longer have to fight outside forces whatsoever, the Equestrian society has become naive and almost childlike. And you know what they say, if children ran the world...


Let's not forget the Ponyville has a lot of money coming in from the massive every-other-week millions of bits in princess funded repairs. The royal accountants are not happy, mostly Luna and her abacus.

I would honestly think that Equestrian society is in some form socialist. Ponies can and do make their own money via the free market, however instead of each town collecting taxes, it seems as though all 'government' money flows from one big pot from Celestia herself, who governs who needs what and how much. A very micromanagey approach to money distribution. She's had thousands of years to learn perfect economics.


Fridge Logic: Twilight didn't take Spike to Fluttershy because she's scared of dragons. :smallsmile:

Spoilers, please.

Anyways, you are honestly most likely right.


I for one think Fluttershy is a government-paid "gamekeeper". I ship her with Hagrid.

This is my new fanon.


And yeah, Celestia is over a thousand years old. I'm not going to buy the horse-lifespan concept anytime soon.

I more attribute that to her status as 'magical alicorn of the sun', and less to anything to do with mere mortals.


Sometimes I just really like the art that this fandom produces (S2E10 minor spoiler):


http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Edit: added soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc). Just imagine it's Octavia playing.

1920x1080 version here (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/96851). Desktop'ed in ten seconds flat.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rywrlOxbAow/Tdx7cKun-3I/AAAAAAAAATQ/VNAAGu8QvQg/s400/15968%2B-%2Banimated%2Bartist-mihaaaa%2Bclapping%2Bclopplauding%2Bgif%2BOctavia% 2Breaction_image%2Breaction_ponies.jpg


You've Been Hit By
You've Been Hit By
A Smooth Cheerilee

...

Somepony needs to ponify this entire song. And animate dat Cheerilee.

[Deadly]

Incidently, one more point to consider is that is ponies have real-world-pony lifespans, they are also going to need to use real-world pony breeding techniques, because they aren't going to be able to rely on finding their One True Partner in one-third the time (human struggle enough as it is...)

At the very least the urge to mate MUST be more MUCH important, as they have far less time to do it in, a vastly smaller window of opportunity. It simply can't work any other way and them still be a viable species. The shorter a creature's lifespan, the more important mating becomes. Creature with shorter lifespans mate sooner and much more often than creatures with longer one.

Which means a) we're likely back to real-world equine harems and going into heat and b) raises the uncomfortable spectre of Rarity becoming "interested" in Spike (a male she has an already standing emotional connection with) and getting the (strong) urges to mate while he's still young...

Incidently, real-world equines are also phyically capable of reproduction at the age of eighteen months (and even domesticated horses start to be bred at age three). Four is generally considered adult, six full adult growth. Which means the CMC are already well into their puberty and sexual maturity, which ever way you look at it. (From the looks of horse-breeding stuff I googled, three would seem to be the generally considered minimum age, and so I would say that would be a good point to extrapolate an age-of-consent for Equestria using real-world equine lifespans.)

Maximum breeding age is also about twenty for horses - so the mane cast are right in the middle of their fertility cycle as "young adults" and all that entails.



And, as I've mentioned before, real-world horses also do not sleep at night (unlike ponies do); they sleep throughout the day and night in small stretches standing up (about three hours per day, with lying down REM sleep and hour or two every few days). Which is again, an adaption of their faster life cycle and requirement for constant grazing, and not one mirrored by ponies (though when they sleep could be explained by the change in diet and lifestyle, the amount they need wouldn't increase).

Spoilered for... discussion of equine reproduction
I have no problem with them being romantically and sexually active. I mean, we love shipping don't we? :smalltongue:

I still don't get your fascination with RarityxSpike. I just can't see it. But whatever, we can and do ship anything the hay we want around here.

Just a few quick thoughts on the topic. If they are mature around age 3-4 that does imply they can start mating around that age. Seems perfectly logical and reasonable to me. I've always assumed the mane 6 were in the prime age for that sort of thing, and that the CMCs were just around puberty (cutie marks representing the point of maturity, roughly). I have no problem with this.

It's worth considering how humans are able to get by with very few children on average, because of how technology has removed a lot of the threats and struggles of previous times (where it was very common to have tons of children because many died or because many were needed to work the farms and whatever, also in great part a cultural development). Equestrian ponies, having a very developed society, probably has it much the same, getting only the absolute minimum number of children needed to sustain the race. Or even fewer, as is increasingly the case for modern humans in the western world.

I've kinda been thinking maybe harems aren't uncommon, the idea that one or more of the mane 6 (usually either Pinkie, Dash or Twilight in my head) are very promiscuous :smallbiggrin:

[Tectonic Robot]

Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

[Deadly]

Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

You should totally get one and call yourself Captain. Or an entire fleet and call yourself Admiral! :smallbiggrin:

Want suggestions? I have a ton I could offer you for free (http://adcoon.deviantart.com/art/4851-Ships-262157875)

[Tectonic Robot]

You should totally get one and call yourself Captain. Or an entire fleet and call yourself Admiral! :smallbiggrin:

Want suggestions? I have a ton I could offer you for free (http://adcoon.deviantart.com/art/4851-Ships-262157875)

I see you have to separate rocks up there. And each of the hydra heads. And the Cakes, although I'm pretty sure they're married.

...If I stare at that long enough, will the true ships rise up and reveal themselves to me?

Coff Coff the only ship I'm captain of is the failboat Coff Coff

[Deadly]

I see you have to separate rocks up there. And each of the hydra heads. And the Cakes, although I'm pretty sure they're married.

...If I stare at that long enough, will the true ships rise up and reveal themselves to me?

Coff Coff the only ship I'm captain of is the failboat Coff Coff

Well, Mr Cake and Mrs. Cake, that's one ship down. 4850 left :smallbiggrin: And that's not counting all the new faces from the new episodes that I have yet to include in the graph

Who knows what will rise out of the deep if you stare into it long enough... How about... GummyxGilda? Rolls of the tongue nicely, don't it?

Edit: unspoilered by request

[Thanqol]

Well, Mr Cake and Mrs. Cake, that's one ship down. 4850 left :smallbiggrin: And that's not counting all the new faces from the new episodes that I have yet to include in the graph

Who knows what will rise out of the deep if you stare into it long enough... How about... GummyxGilda? Rolls of the tongue nicely, don't it?

Gumda sounds adorable.

Why are you spoilerboxing this? I mean, as a thread, we're pretty open about shipping all the ponies, right?

BIGGEST SHIP IS BEST SHIP

[Deadly]

Gumda sounds adorable.

Why are you spoilerboxing this? I mean, as a thread, we're pretty open about shipping all the ponies, right?

BIGGEST SHIP IS BEST SHIP

Unspoiled you shall have it, then :smallbiggrin:

And Gumda totally needs to happen now. Let's see... Pinkie sets up Gilda with Gummy because she thinks Gilda is lonely and could use some love

[Titanium Fox]

Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

Oh really now? I don't think Faithful would be very happy to hear that...


Unspoiled you shall have it, then :smallbiggrin:

And Gumda totally needs to happen now. Let's see... Pinkie sets up Gilda with Gummy because she thinks Gilda is lonely and could use some love

Dat sweet Gummy lovi- ponythread what are you doing to my brain

[Bayonet Priest]

Titanium changed his phone number to pony? Genius or madness, you decide. :smalltongue:



Also, we better be open about shipping. I like most ships, be they ponyships, warships, cargoships, spaceships, airships(all my love) so many ships.

[Eakin]

Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

I ship Twilight as a submarine! (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/02/story-twilight-october.html) And Fluttershy as a battleship! Toot toot!

That's how it works, right?

Re: Equestrian government/economy: I'm pretty sure Celestia is a benevolent dictator, but I doubt she is hooves-on with every issue. There are only so many hours in the day and nopony could possibly run a system that huge without some kind of delegation. I doubt we'll ever see the pony parliament just because it isn't that sort of show, but it's got to be there in some form.

Also if ponies hit full maturity by 5 years or so, then a lifespan of 30 wouldn't be THAT bad. Either there's enhanced general learning or cutie marks give some kind of accelerated development in that topic/area.

But if ponies hit maturity that rapidly and really did live so long, we would expect to see 4 or 5 generations at the same time. So unless Granny is actually AJ's great or great-great grandmother, it seems unlikely they live beyond their 30s.

And pony harems seem probable only if the population is actually as female dominant as the show makes it out to be. If male ponies were driven to hoard females (Hey! A new, disturbing twist on the last episode!) I would expect to see a greater degree of sexual dimorphism from natural selection.

[Raz_Fox]

Back home, some things:

I got interviewed for the Pony Fiction Vault (http://www.ponyfictionvault.net/2011/12/thanqols-old-stories.html). I feel like a big internet celebrity.

First, I'd like to say that I am so happy for you, Thanqol, and it's about time somepony recognized your genius. The Old Stories is one of those stories I wish I had come up with, and it resonates so well. Plus, I'm a dapper fox in a tie. What's not to love?

Secondly, thank you, Thanqol. You have given me the creative fuel I need to finish my professional creative writing portfolio and get cracking on ponies: sheer seething envy.

Cue Green-Eyed Jealousy remixes, please.


I need to practise my ponies. Can I get some ideas for characters to draw? OCs or otherwise, whatever, post descriptions here and I'll add 'em to a list. My current pony art is somewhere around this level (http://thanqol.deviantart.com/#/d4hjsfk).

More detail is better than less. Personality details are major plusses.

I require a picture of a female fox hugging a hobo-pony.

It's, um, for a story. Yeah. That's the bunny.


Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

RAZETTE WOULD LIKE A WORD, RAGGEDY.

[Aotrs Commander]

And pony harems seem probable only if the population is actually as female dominant as the show makes it out to be. If male ponies were driven to hoard females (Hey! A new, disturbing twist on the last episode!) I would expect to see a greater degree of sexual dimorphism from natural selection.

Harems are real-world (wild) horse behavior. There's a male, a dominant female, and load of secondary females. As I said long ago, the dispropotionate number of females (at least in season one Ponyville) was actually believeable.

[Eakin]

Harems are real-world (wild) horse behavior. There's a male, a dominant female, and load of secondary females. As I said long ago, the dispropotionate number of females (at least in season one Ponyville) was actually believeable.

*The More You Know*

Cool! I actually had no idea that was the case. Is there a 50% male, 50% female split at birth or are the beta males just killed off?

[Lix Lorn]

Oh yes, on that topic I refuse to believe ponies live for less than humans. All speculation otherwise shall be ignored by me.
This. I don't subscribe to short lived ponies because it's SADDER.


Sometimes I just really like the art that this fandom produces (S2E10 minor spoiler):


http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Edit: added soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc). Just imagine it's Octavia playing.

Smooth Cheerilee indeed <3


I need to practise my ponies. Can I get some ideas for characters to draw? OCs or otherwise, whatever, post descriptions here and I'll add 'em to a list. My current pony art is somewhere around this level (http://thanqol.deviantart.com/#/d4hjsfk).

More detail is better than less. Personality details are major plusses.
Filly Faithful! Filly faithfuuul!
Faithful being my avatar.


Before I start on these I should deal with my backlog, which consists mostly of Wet Mane Midnight.

I'm a man of my worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/964/day208ek.jpg]
oh my.
I
I need a towel.


... So no love for Fluttershy/Hagrid?

I mean, just look at them: kind, shy, emotional folks who live in some isolation and like children, they love to take care of wild creatures, are extremely nurturing and tender-hearted, always expect the best out of everyone, and are one-of-a-kind in their respective species. The interesting part, the source of conflict, is that Hagrid loves huge intimidating animals, and the huger they are the nicer he thinks they are, while Fluttershy focuses on cutesy wootsey little critters and is very scared of the big 'uns (unless her friends' lives are on the line, then there's an internal limit break of sorts).

Ponyfy Hagrid and make him a Ranger assigned to Everfree (and he'd be so happy there, it's about as bad awesome as the Forbidden Forest, or humanize Fluttershy and... give her whatever role at Hogwarts (seriously, that school is dangerous)l
I approve of this.


Rainbow D'awww! Seriously, this thing is the best!
(source) (http://aphexangel.deviantart.com/art/OMG-RD-BABBY-271510635)
http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/333/e/2/omg_rd_babby_by_aphexangel-d4hney3.png
Do waaant


You've Been Hit By
You've Been Hit By
A Smooth Cheerilee
:smallbiggrin:


Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.
Faithful song and Candles, as well as Ponsoon and Candles and Raggedy and Razette will be very sad about this.


Oh really now? I don't think Faithful would be very happy to hear that...
See?


RAZETTE WOULD LIKE A WORD, RAGGEDY.
SEE?!

[Kindablue]

SO. RANDOM NEWS. I can now be reached by all American and Canadian numbers, for free, at...

*Drum Roll*

4chan has been informed.


Oh really now? I don't think Faithful would be very happy to hear that...

RAZETTE WOULD LIKE A WORD, RAGGEDY.
Be not afraid of shipping, Tectonic. Some are born shipped, some achieve ships and some have ships thrust upon them. You are in the latter category.

[Titanium Fox]

Titanium changed his phone number to pony? Genius or madness, you decide. :smalltongue:

http://pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/132354328695.png


Harems are real-world (wild) horse behavior. There's a male, a dominant female, and load of secondary females. As I said long ago, the dispropotionate number of females (at least in season one Ponyville) was actually believeable.

Huh! I didn't actually know that. Kinda puts a rather... interesting spin on things in Equestria.


4chan has been informed.

...Did you really? I mean it is google voice so I can pay to change it (also why I didn't mind actually giving out because it doesn't trace back to my location and numbers can be blocked over google voice), but... You didn't, did you?

[Kindablue]

I have never been to 4chan in my life, no.

[Titanium Fox]

I have never been to 4chan in my life, no.

Thank god. I kind of need that number to text out of country. Which happened a lot, before I realized AT&T charges .25 per SMS to Canada. Which no other mobile carrier does if you have unlimited texts. ><

...Sorry I doubted you? :smallredface:

[otakuryoga]

Who knows what will rise out of the deep if you stare into it long enough... How about... GummyxGilda? Rolls of the tongue nicely, don't it?


hey now...lets not forget that i already wrote the Gummy ship with his one true love

[Eakin]

... So no love for Fluttershy/Hagrid?

I mean, just look at them: kind, shy, emotional folks who live in some isolation and like children, they love to take care of wild creatures, are extremely nurturing and tender-hearted, always expect the best out of everyone, and are one-of-a-kind in their respective species. The interesting part, the source of conflict, is that Hagrid loves huge intimidating animals, and the huger they are the nicer he thinks they are, while Fluttershy focuses on cutesy wootsey little critters and is very scared of the big 'uns (unless her friends' lives are on the line, then there's an internal limit break of sorts).

Ponyfy Hagrid and make him a Ranger assigned to Everfree (and he'd be so happy there, it's about as bad awesome as the Forbidden Forest, or humanize Fluttershy and... give her whatever role at Hogwarts (seriously, that school is dangerous)l

Ponyville isn't much safer than Hogwarts, honestly. They both seem to be attacked by a super villain each year, but Ponyville gets torn to pieces every couple of weeks or so.

I think the relationship falls apart the first time Hagrid brings home a fully grown dragon as a pet and it eats one of Fluttershy's bunnies. (Not Angel, obviously. Angel kicks the dragon's ass on sight to establish himself as pack leader, or just on principle really.)

[Bayonet Priest]

This. I don't subscribe to short lived ponies because it's SADDER.



Very much this.



Yes, I realize I just "this"ed a "this". Don't judge me :smalltongue:


http://pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/132354328695.png



That answers that, Ponysanity it is.

[Tiki Snakes]

Eh, no.
That ship needs sinking. It fails on the simple level that Hagrid is scary and therefor about as bad a Fluttershy shipping partner as you get.

I like the idea, actually, of some ferengi ersatz race trying to take advantage of Equestria's wooly thinking naivety.

Only for them to realise that their economy doesn't make enough sense to actually exploit, as they basically just wander around pretending to bother about money.

[Newman]

View Post
I for one think Fluttershy is a government-paid "gamekeeper". I ship her with Hagrid.

This is now my headcanon.

Wow, someone noticed! Me happy.

Me been reading Fallout:Equestria, Project Horizons.

Me terrified ****less. Breeding colts.

Who aren't allowed to do anything with their time other than have sex.

And then are executed at a given age, their population kept constant.

Makes Dr. Strangelove's proposal all the more horrifying. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8L8NopVwdg&feature=related)

"Highly stimulating nature".

("****less"? We have a cuss filter? Me like. (83|)

[Bayonet Priest]

Wow, someone noticed! Me happy.

Me been reading Fallout:Equestria, Project Horizons.

Me terrified ****less. Breeding colts.

Who aren't allowed to do anything with their time other than have sex.

And then are executed at a given age, their population kept constant.

Makes Dr. Strangelove's proposal all the more horrifying. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8L8NopVwdg&feature=related)

"Highly stimulating nature".


Yeah, I haven't read Project Horizons. From what I hear about it it's even darker than regular Fallout: Equestria. Darker is not a direction I would want Fallout: Equestria to go, if anything it's already too dark so I don't expect I'll ever get around to reading Project Horizons.

Heck, vanilla Fallout Equestria is pretty much an exception to my "no grimdark ever" rule. I'm happy to keep it that way.

[Eakin]

Wow, someone noticed! Me happy.

Me been reading Fallout:Equestria, Project Horizons.

Me terrified ****less. Breeding colts.

Who aren't allowed to do anything with their time other than have sex.

And then are executed at a given age, their population kept constant.

Makes Dr. Strangelove's proposal all the more horrifying. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8L8NopVwdg&feature=related)

"Highly stimulating nature".

Sure we noticed! Posts usually get read, but with a couple new pages to read every day sometimes they get a little lost in the shuffle. Although if you think that's fast you should have seen us before we started the IRC channel and moved role playing to its own thread.

Breeding stock like that of intelligent creatures never made sense in my mind. Surely there's a certain amount of diminishing returns involved, so the actual breeding can't occupy THAT much time every day. Why wouldn't you let them do other things for the rest of the time? Even if they have to avoid manual labor or jobs that expose them to danger (although they clearly aren't THAT concerned with losing them if they have to keep the breeding population in check).

Fridge Logic always kills horror for me...

[the_druid_droid]

You're a fool, Droid!


You're just like the rest of them! The all said I was mad! Mad! Can you believe it?! I'll show them who's mad when they're all my diminutive equine puppets!


Before I start on these I should deal with my backlog, which consists mostly of Wet Mane Midnight.


Celestia's feathers! I still owe SiuiS D&D pony...and Shadowy...and oh my...so much backlog!


So guys what's going on in-

*Everyone is discussing the nature of the best and proper government.*

*The argument flies above my head*
...I suppose I'll just sit in the corner, then. Don't mind me...

Clearly best government is benevolent alicorn rule!


Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

We-we could get you an airship...would you like that?


And Gumda totally needs to happen now. Let's see... Pinkie sets up Gilda with Gummy because she thinks Gilda is lonely and could use some love

Ohgodwhyisthissoadorable


Also, we better be open about shipping. I like most ships, be they ponyships, warships, cargoships, spaceships, airships(all my love) so many ships.

*Flies through thread on a pteranodon*


First, I'd like to say that I am so happy for you, Thanqol, and it's about time somepony recognized your genius. The Old Stories is one of those stories I wish I had come up with, and it resonates so well. Plus, I'm a dapper fox in a tie. What's not to love?

Secondly, thank you, Thanqol. You have given me the creative fuel I need to finish my professional creative writing portfolio and get cracking on ponies: sheer seething envy.

Cue Green-Eyed Jealousy remixes, please.


Now I'm expecting Ebby to appear somewhere...

<.<


I require a picture of a female fox hugging a hobo-pony.

It's, um, for a story. Yeah. That's the bunny.


All of my HNNNNNGH!


RAZETTE WOULD LIKE A WORD, RAGGEDY.

Somepony's in trouuubleeee~

[Aotrs Commander]

*The More You Know*

Cool! I actually had no idea that was the case. Is there a 50% male, 50% female split at birth or are the beta males just killed off?

No idea actually.

I suspect that, in the wild, it's the case, like many herd animals, that the male are solitary if they can't bully their way into controlling a harem. (And fights for control can be quite vicious and also quite ritualised, especially among zebras.)

[Newman]

Actually it seems like the current state of keeping the males in the Stable to a minimum, and all the jobs inherited mother-to-daughter, were the results of an Incident somewhere in the past. The Stable is in an extremely regimented state precisely because any negligence or failure to get the job done would kill everyone. Also, they think they're the only surviving stable and that the world outside is a Wasteland. Which it is. But it's survivable.

... What's interesting is the lack of attention to artirstry, entertainment and such, as compared with Stable 101 (that was lilpi's right?)

[Gamerlord]

No idea actually.

I suspect that, in the wild, it's the case, like many herd animals, that the male are solitary if they can't bully their way into controlling a harem. (And fights for control can be quite vicious and also quite ritualised, especially among zebras.)
From what (Admittedly, that isn't much) I know about horses, I believe the alpha stallion chases out any other males, who end up forming bachelor groups with other stallions if they can't find their own herd in which they train to become stronger. Maybe in Equestria that is what the military is composed of?

[Eakin]

From the (Admittedly, little) I know about horses, I believe the alpha stallion chases out any other males, who end up forming groups with other stallions if they can't find they're own herd.

I now demand that MLP feature an episode full of frat boy ponies!

I wonder if they could soften it up enough to get it under the radar

[TheAmishPirate]

I now demand that MLP feature an episode full of frat boy ponies!

I wonder if they could soften it up enough to get it under the radar

Root beer.

Problem solved. :smallwink:

[Newman]

Introducing "Scumbag Stallion" and "Cool Colt Coat"

[Mando Knight]

I now demand that MLP feature an episode full of frat boy ponies!

I wonder if they could soften it up enough to get it under the radar

And then the guest stars were us.

With a root beer kegger.

[MCerberus]

Didn't we already see an episode with a bunch of frat-boy ponies forced to work in the weather factory for their entire life?

[Newman]

To be fair, Ginger Beer tastes nicer than Wheat beer.

Beetroot is also nice and pink/purple. But it stains. A lot.

http://amuseastray.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/img_4350.jpg?w=840http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/204/6/a/Nuka_cola_collectiom_by_Falloutturkey.jpg

[Titanium Fox]

To be fair, Ginger Beer tastes nicer than Wheat beer.

Beetroot is also nice and pink/purple. But it stains. A lot.
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/204/6/a/Nuka_cola_collectiom_by_Falloutturkey.jpg

Where did you find these? I WANT THOSE BOTTLES.

[TheCountAlucard]

Newman! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld)

Err, I mean, hi! :smallsmile: Haven't seen you around before; you new here?

[Geno9999]

Okay, given (show) Trixie's over-the-top theatrics reminded me of a certain wizard of Oz, I made this fanfiction. Critiques are welcome.
Part 1 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Sc0ph5VmejCtpTEq_iCJ8IAeLio1kk1U9QssAArIm4/edit)
Part 2 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eStzE7wLqMtQ7TE2v4sz7hBGsOEXJoAPXopMXWYHEK0/edit)
Part 2 goes through the meeting with the Scarecrow.
I made the Scarecrow Pinkie Pie instead of Applejack, because I felt that AJ would make a better Tin Woodsman than my next best guess, Rainbow Dash. No guesses on who the Cowardly Lion is.:smallamused:

[Newman]

Yeah, I'm a recent addition. I really like it around here: conversation is smart without being pedantic, and the thread advances slowly enough that I don't feel stressed about it.

Plus there's the sheer philanthropy over this particular thread that's just a brony trademark.

[Bayonet Priest]

Yeah, I'm a recent addition. I really like it around here: conversation is smart without being pedantic, and the thread advances slowly enough that I don't feel stressed about it.

Plus there's the sheer philanthropy over this particular thread that's just a brony trademark.

Wow, that's the first time I've ever seen anyone complement the thread on being slow. You should have seen this place a couple months ago, I'd head to class at 8:00 and come back at noon to see 7-8 pages had gone by.

Edit: I think it was the establishment of the IRC chat that slowed us down. I'm pretty sure most of the RP migrated there. I'll admit that I prefer the more sedate pace we move at now that I can actually keep up.

[Titanium Fox]

Yeah, I'm a recent addition. I really like it around here: conversation is smart without being pedantic, and the thread advances slowly enough that I don't feel stressed about it.

Plus there's the sheer philanthropy over this particular thread that's just a brony trademark.

Wow. I guess this is a cue we really have slowed down. We opened up an IRC channel that diverted a lot of insanity, and our speed has nearly cut in half, if not gotten even slower than that. We used to go through a thread in two to three days.

[Aotrs Commander]

Ah, the days when we consistently got through a thread per week, and often five pages over night... SiuiS quote-posts every day... And all the ponysanity... It's positively sane around here now, more's the pity: I can't even legitimately claim to be the only comparitvely sane person on the thread anymore (we'd probably have to make that Zevox, I reckon...)



Speaking of ponysanity, anybody seen Esper or Midnight around lately (it's getting hard to tell which from which...) Or Kris Strife, for that matter? Are they frequenting the IRC or have they just dropped out of sight completely?



Ah well, time for Monday's RPG session...

[Bayonet Priest]

Speaking of ponysanity, anybody seen Esper or Midnight around lately (it's getting hard to tell which from which...) Or Kris Strife, for that matter? Are they frequenting the IRC or have they just dropped out of sight completely?


I saw Esper on the IRC Saturday (well actually it was Midnight but close enough). Haven't seen him much in the thread lately though.

[MCerberus]

And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

[Dirtbag]

Speaking of ponysanity, anybody seen Esper or Midnight around lately (it's getting hard to tell which from which...) Or Kris Strife, for that matter? Are they frequenting the IRC or have they just dropped out of sight completely?

Both of them are usually in the IRC. Midnight is RP'ing right now. ^^

Kris is... AFKA? I think. But he's in the IRC too.

A lot of ponies are in there almost all the time.

Edit:
And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Oh, sorry. ^^ Happy birthday MCerberus! :D

[Bayonet Priest]

And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Happy birthday pony, have some ponies.

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/20800000/Happy-Birthday-Luna-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-20830630-894-894.jpg

Lots of pony birthdays lately, mine isn't till February. I first joined the herd only a couple weeks after my last birthday.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Yeah, I'm a recent addition. I really like it around here: conversation is smart without being pedantic, and the thread advances slowly enough that I don't feel stressed about it.

Plus there's the sheer philanthropy over this particular thread that's just a brony trademark.

This is odd because even with the slowdown its still busiest part of the Media Disscussion forum. Makes me wonder where you were hanging out before?

[Draconi Redfir]

i haven't posted here in a few dozen pages, are we still on the episode were rairity becomes populer in canterlot?

[otakuryoga]

Root beer.

Problem solved. :smallwink:

no no NO

i have faith that the FiM team would do a shoutout to old Starblazers and have them drinking "spring water" :smallcool:



And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

McCerberus is the new Spike!!

and that is your present...but please remember to wash your cheek now and then

[Bayonet Priest]

i haven't posted here in a few dozen pages, are we still on the episode were rairity becomes populer in canterlot?

Nope, now we're on the episode where

Spoiler Alert!
Spike has acrush on Rarity


sorry... we're really on the episode where Spike becomes huge and goes King Kong on the town. Also he has a crush on Rarity :smalltongue:

Talk about it in spoilers though because some still haven't seen it.

We've also been discussing topics ranging from pony aging and lifespan all the way to Thanqol's awesome hat (ok, maybe that was just me).

[AlexFrostfire]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

[MBI]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Welcome! To both the IRC, and the thread!

[Bayonet Priest]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

*ambushes and hugs*

That's ok, we have lots of ponies. You can borrow some of ours.

http://img.ponibooru.org/images/0d/0da1a106ff7923e0fb2630d06310c636

http://img.ponibooru.org/images/06/06c7d0d2105a1314ea928cadd5a55a09

[MCerberus]

Thanks everyone, but I'm not Spike, I merely play TF2 and thus have a healthy collection of hats. Plus being the new Spike would interfere with the oncoming Party that The Pink One will plunge this unworthy sphere into.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Welcome



http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8457/mlpassimilated.jpg

WE ARE THE HERD.
LOWER YOUR SHIELDS AND SURRENDER YOUR MEDIA DEVICES.
WE WILL ADD YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS TO OUR OWN
YOUR SOCIAL LIFE WILL ADAPT TO SERVICE US.

[Bayonet Priest]

Thanks everyone, but I'm not Spike, I merely play TF2 and thus have a healthy collection of hats. Plus being the new Spike would interfere with the oncoming Party that The Pink One will plunge this unworthy sphere into.

But ever since Spike became the new Rainbow Dash we've needed a new Spike. If you won't do it who will? Steven Magnet? I don't think he's gonna cut it.

[Newman]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Here's a pretty safe bet: go to Equestria Daily and look for Drawfriend Stuff, or to Know Your Meme's My Little Pony page's image gallery, or to bonibooru, and select the most awesome images and just post them here under a spoiler tag.

YOU SAY YOU WANT A CONTRIBUTIO-ON, WE-ELL YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANNA SEE THE PLOT

[Capt. Ido Nos]

So guys what's going on in-

*Everyone is discussing the nature of the best and proper government.*

*The argument flies above my head*
...I suppose I'll just sit in the corner, then. Don't mind me...
Oh hey, welcome to my hidey corner! I hide here sometimes from the maddness. Or from the maddness I cause, it's hard to tell them apart sometimes. Either way it's quieter here.



You should totally get one and call yourself Captain. Or an entire fleet and call yourself Admiral! :smallbiggrin:

Want suggestions? I have a ton I could offer you for free (http://adcoon.deviantart.com/art/4851-Ships-262157875)
*points at Captain hat* What, doesn't this mean anything anymore?


Titanium changed his phone number to pony? Genius or madness, you decide. :smalltongue:
I reserve judgement on this, as one of my numbers is (***)LEET-ZOD.

Hey, question. Since I am Bad At Tumblr, I am not aware of there currently being a de facto Ask Derpy that's updating and not on haitus or something. Is there one? Or should I learn to draw her better and start one myself?

[Newman]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Here's a pretty safe bet: go to Equestria Daily and look for Drawfriend Stuff, or to Know Your Meme's My Little Pony page's image gallery, or to bonibooru, and select the most awesome images and just post them here under a spoiler tag.

Like thusly http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2011/345/0/4/not_to_be_meme____by_veggie55-d4isrjw.png

YOU SAY YOU WANT A CONTRIBUTIO-ON, WE-ELL YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANNA SEE THE PLOT

[BlasTech]

Blastech is the handsome devil in the brown jacket. You should be able to recognise my hat. The guy holding the flag is some random we grabbed off the street.

"What is this, like, a rock and roll concert thing?"
"Yeah. Something like that."

He was weirdly understanding when we told him we were into ponies.

[Also, Blastech, if you've got access to more photos could you link them?


Ahh yes ... "photos" ... the visual medium allegedly showing evidence of mass ponysanity near famous Sydney Landmarks ... we have dismissed that claim.

*As he's saying this, Iggy sneaks in behind and sets up the following slideshow*


http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392292_261519950570209_100001366171474_672535_6190 54796_n.jpg

(In case anyone was having trouble imagining the ponysanity on the steps of the Opera House, this visual mock-up should help.)

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392077_261520047236866_100001366171474_672538_1780 643422_n.jpg

Yes, there are some ponies climbing on the top of that metal death trap, the rest of us are quite sensibly sitting inside it!

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/377150_261520393903498_100001366171474_672546_2034 327444_n.jpg

Picnic under a big tree

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/388012_261521233903414_100001366171474_672563_5752 86205_n.jpg

The brony group seems to have a thing for awesome hats. Not pictured here is Thanqol's awesome hat with the pocket Berry Punch tucked into the band.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/389970_261520747236796_100001366171474_672553_9248 00263_n.jpg

All hail the videos of pony!

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384894_261520153903522_100001366171474_672540_2089 093604_n.jpg

Different angle of the metal death trap. Also pictured is Thanqol's awesome hat :smallsmile:


Sometimes I just really like the art that this fandom produces (S2E10 minor spoiler):


http://www.canterlot.com/uploads/gallery/album_11/gallery_82_11_133948.png

Edit: added soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc). Just imagine it's Octavia playing.

1920x1080 version here (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/view/96851). Desktop'ed in ten seconds flat.

Disco Cheerilee makes so much sense to me, I love that they came out with this picture so soon after the ep.


Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

Take your pick (http://ponibooru.413chan.net/post/list/ship/1)!


And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Happy Birthday!


Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Welcome aboard!

(Sorry, I'd spam pony images but I'm late for work now. BLASTECH AWAY!

*Dives out window*

[Beacon of Chaos]

Sure we noticed! Posts usually get read, but with a couple new pages to read every day sometimes they get a little lost in the shuffle. Although if you think that's fast you should have seen us before we started the IRC channel and moved role playing to its own thread.
We have a seperate RP thread now?

...no wonder...


For anypony that's interested, Part Six (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XrRiQu7wYwHo9SIpnHmN-8tdd8XmRcHBy9YhWnpDQ3A/edit) of my fanfic New Perspectives (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ll41KaYXH46C46sTaz-FVJOY3avna9-ABgw2EPzImp4/edit) is up on Google Docs, and also posted below; as always, any comments or spotting of crimes against grammar are appreciated. :smallbiggrin:
Yes! More of this!
Apple family backstory with Pegasi cousin. It helps explain a lot about Granny's attitude. I hope we get to meet this cousin and find out more about them. Also, more on how Fluttershy is coping, since it's been a fairly AJ heavy chapter.

I'm intrigued by this story, looking forward to more ^^


And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*
More Birthday? Goodness gracious me, it never stops!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

As is the tradition, I bring you ponies and cake:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/4226937a35a63b3c564950e87c62d295/96708%20-%20Angel_Bunny%20applejack%20artist%3Asolar-slash%20big%20cake%20fluttershy%20pinkie_pie%20rai nbow_dash%20rarity%20twilight_sparkle.jpg

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.
Welcome aboard! I spent a fair amount of time lurking this thread myself. Trust me: posting is better.

[TheAmishPirate]

And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Happy Birthday! I shall do a happy dance in your honor!

*dances like a fooligan*


Hey, question. Since I am Bad At Tumblr, I am not aware of there currently being a de facto Ask Derpy that's updating and not on haitus or something. Is there one? Or should I learn to draw her better and start one myself?

DO IT.

Er, by that I mean the Ask Blogs tend to be fairly forgiving of multiple ponies. Heck, I've got like three Pinkie Pies in my regular stash. But to my knowledge...no. I do not think there is an exclusive Ask Derpy blog. She's been partnered up with other ponies, but she has none to call her own! You must help this homeless pony, oh Captain, my Captain! Rise up, and draw the ponies!

[Kurgan]

You forget that it is only fairly recently that humans, or at least most humans, have had any hope of living as long as we do. Perhaps those who were fairly well off could live long, but the majority probably didn't live much longer than 40 I imagine. Don't quote me on the exact numbers, but something like that.

In the pre-modern times people probably squeezed a lot more out of their time. The successful ones anyway, the struggling masses didn't have much choice in what to do with their time except work, work, work. But seriously, just stop for a moment and consider how much of your time you "waste" sitting here discussing fantasies about magical ponies which doesn't matter one bit. I know that personally I spend way too much time on that, time I could have spent studying and making something of my life. Not saying my time is wasted (sometimes, probably) but it's definitely not used as ruthlessly effectively as it could be without modern distractions.

Also look how I extended equestrian expected lifespans to around 60, which is not too far from human lifespans.


One thing you are forgetting is that life expectancy is curved heavily by infant mortality. When someone says that life expectancy was 30 or 40 in the Middle Ages, they mean that so many infants and young children died that the average life span was tilted in that direction. In reality, reaching say 50, 60 or beyond was not uncommon.

That is also one of the reasonings behind large families: If there is an 50+% chance that a child won't live beyond 2 or 3, then you are probably going to pump out more children to keep the population going.


I now demand that MLP feature an episode full of frat boy ponies!

I wonder if they could soften it up enough to get it under the radar

Lando Calrission has what you need! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6J7QtwEyN8)

Colt XLV, his cutie mark is a keg tap. :smallbiggrin:


Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Welcome!

http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/0da1a106ff7923e0fb2630d06310c636/12549%20-%20macro%20scootaloo.jpg
http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/06c7d0d2105a1314ea928cadd5a55a09/7961%20-%20animated%20jumping%20scootaloo.gif
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/12427447003ed688e7fd46938de172c3/6814%20-%20animated%20cute%20filly%20gif%20twilight_sparkl e%20young.gif
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/b5c57a57b220323e6498818f0b4f1405/84939%20-%20Trixie%20artist%3Alovemimi%20cart%20great_and_p owerful_trixie.jpg





And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Happy Birthday!


http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/180/048/Trixie.png?1317328921
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/3520087ca048338d3b40b0b2cd04fb41/42940%20-%20animated%20gif%20pinkie_pie%20strawberry_milksh ake.gif

[Deadly]

Happy Birthday, MCerberus!



Here's an unrelated comic, which made me giggle like a mad little filly... new episode spoiler
(source) (http://niban-destikim.deviantart.com/art/Lasso-Spike-273369585)
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/344/c/f/lasso_spike_by_niban_destikim-d4ir9bl.jpg

I love that pony's comics... now, back to writing! I go!

[Geno9999]

Okay, given (show) Trixie's over-the-top theatrics reminded me of a certain wizard of Oz, I made this fanfiction. Critiques are welcome.
Part 1 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Sc0ph5VmejCtpTEq_iCJ8IAeLio1kk1U9QssAArIm4/edit)
Part 2 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eStzE7wLqMtQ7TE2v4sz7hBGsOEXJoAPXopMXWYHEK0/edit)
Part 2 goes through the meeting with the Scarecrow.
I made the Scarecrow Pinkie Pie instead of Applejack, because I felt that AJ would make a better Tin Woodsman than my next best guess, Rainbow Dash. No guesses on who the Cowardly Lion is.:smallamused:

Why do I feel ignored?:smallfrown:

Edit: oh wait, that's probably because I posted on a birthday.
Uhh...
Here's your present?

[Athaniar]

I like the current speed of the thread, myself. Fast without being too fast.


And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*
Happy birthday!


Speaking of ponysanity, anybody seen Esper or Midnight around lately (it's getting hard to tell which from which...) Or Kris Strife, for that matter? Are they frequenting the IRC or have they just dropped out of sight completely?

They're both online daily.

[Gaelbert]

And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Happy birthday!


hey now...lets not forget that i already wrote the Gummy ship with his one true love

Man, that was an instant classic.


Very much this.

Yes, I realize I just "this"ed a "this". Don't judge me :smalltongue:

THIS.


Yeah, I'm a recent addition. I really like it around here: conversation is smart without being pedantic, and the thread advances slowly enough that I don't feel stressed about it.

Plus there's the sheer philanthropy over this particular thread that's just a brony trademark.

Smart without being pedantic? Dang, I guess we'll have to up the pedantry.


Wow. I guess this is a cue we really have slowed down. We opened up an IRC channel that diverted a lot of insanity, and our speed has nearly cut in half, if not gotten even slower than that. We used to go through a thread in two to three days.

Speaking of pedantry...
I'll just repost this here, spoilered for length:

I couldn't ask for a better opportunity.
Someponies have been worried that the IRC is killing off the ponythread, so I decided to do some data analysis. I measured the hours per ponythread for every single ponythread, graphed them out, and found the mean and standard deviation. Here's what I got:
Graph
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z270/coolcalbert/FullBar.png
You'll note that we appear to go through cycles, and that the speed of the ponythread appears to be, if anything, inversely related(?!). But that's a very loose correlation at best.
Further, the threads we had going during the first season would routinely have 4 to 5 shows per thread. The first probably had 8 or so, it lasted over 2 months. I didn't include it because it was a massive outlier. I didn't use it for any of the calculations either, so the numbers are actually a bit low. If you want to see how much it throws off the data, see this graph.
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z270/coolcalbert/BarGraph.png
The mean of the data was 204.23 hours, and the standard deviation was 69.99 hours. Thread XXX was the only thread we had entirely with the IRC chat, and that lasted 235 hours. This places it firmly within one standard deviation, and thus likely nothing to be worried about. However, to be fair it appears that the distribution has a longer left tail. Still, nothing to worry about.
Obviously we don't have much to go on, outside of thread XXX, but I also worked out the speed of thread XIX post-IRC formation. Titanium Fox announced the creation of the IRC channel at 3:07 PM October 25. The next 20.33 (repeating) pages were finished in 77 hours. If we take that data and assume the speed would stay constant, this would put us at 189.344 hours per thread. Which is below the mean. Also note that based on my personal experience and anecdotal evidence, the IRC received a huge boom in the beginning, and then leveled off. The pace of the IRC has remained fairly constant over the last week or two since the beginning.

My thoughts: The ponythread moves at the pace people post in it, and people post when they have time. That means that summer is going to move rapidly, and then it levels off when school begins. Further, a number of prolific posters have been inundated with troubles recently. There may be some slowdown due to the IRC, we can't be certain because of the afore-mentioned confounding variables, but most of the slowdown should be attributed to the change in season. Posters were used to summer speeds that simply cannot be maintained indefinitely into the school year. You'll notice that late August marks a hundred hour/thread rise in time from our low of 109 hours/thread in late July/early August. This supports my point.

In conclusion, IRC is probably not slowing down the ponythread dramatically. I'll continue measuring and calculating when this thread is finished, but it is incredibly unlikely (and very nearly impossible) for the IRC to "kill" the ponythread. We haven't even been able to isolate any slowdown caused by the IRC at all from all the confounding variables.

Here's the data set if anypony's interested. I did the calculations by hand, so you might catch a mistake or two (or three or eight or twelve). It's in the spoiler:
I 12/20 9:37 PM to 3/2 6:54 PM 1606 hours
II 3/2 6:52 PM to 3/21 8:03 AM 443 hours
III 3/21 8:01 AM to 4/1 12:09 PM 268 hours
IV 4/1 12:07 PM to 4/12 9:27 AM 261 hours
V 4/12 8:12 AM to 4/24 2:32 AM 282 hours
VI 4/24 2:29 AM to 5/7 6:33 PM 328 hours
VII 5/7 6:19 PM to 5/20 3:18 PM 309 hours
VIII 5/20 3:17 PM to 5/29 6:44 PM 219 hours
IX 5/29 4:22 PM to 6/8 2:03 PM 238 hours
X 6/8 2:01 PM TO 6/18 12:37 AM 226 hours
XI 6/18 12:36 AM to 6/25 2:21 PM 184 hours
XII 6/25 1:55 PM to 7/1 4:12 PM 147 hours
XIII 7/1 4:00 PM to 7/8 8:20 AM 160 hours
XIV 7/8 8:10 AM to 7/13 2:31 AM 134 hours
XV 7/13 2:29 AM to 7/19 8:25 AM 162 hours
XVI 7/19 8:18 AM to 7/25 4:00 AM 152 hours
XVII 7/25 3:58 AM to 7/31 1:02 PM 154 hours
XVIII 7/31 12:54 PM to 8/4 9:31 AM 109 hours
XIX 8/4 9:27 AM to 8/10 7:27 PM 166 hours
XX (1) 8/10 7:30 PM to 8/19 12:41 PM 219 hours
XX (2) 8/16 6:43 PM to 8/25 3:57 PM 213 hours
XXI 8/25 3:50 PM to 9/4 5:21 PM 218 hours
XXII 9/4 4:50 PM to 9/13 5:16 PM 216 hours
XXIII 9/13 5:11 PM to 9/19 6:47 PM 145 hours
XXIV 9/19 5:58 PM to 9/25 2:34 PM 141 hours
XXV 9/25 2:31 PM to 10/3 1:33 PM 191 hours
XXVI 10/3 1:30 PM to 10/11 10:21 AM 189 hours
XXVII 10/11 10:20 AM to 10/17 5:15 PM 151 hours
XXVIII 10/17 5:13 PM to 10/22 2:17 PM 117 hours
XXIX 10/22 2:16 PM to 10/28 8:05 PM 150 hours
XXX 10/28 5:20 PM to 11/7 12:48 PM 235 hours
XXXI 11/7 12:45 PM to ...?

Avg. 204.23 hours

Wow, I'm probably coming off as incredibly pretentious. Here are some pics to make up for it. There should be something for everypony in here (and by everypony, I mean everypony who likes shipping, Luna, or Derpy):
Snipped


On further reflection, I'll grant that the IRC has had an impact (I never meant to deny it), but I still don't think the impact was as great as everypony keeps saying. If IRC has been leaching off the RP and some of the content, it certainly hasn't been at a one to one level, as the IRC runs slowly at the same times the thread runs slowly, the IRC picks up sometimes when the thread picks up, etc.
My next project after finals are done is to compare the speed of the IRC to the speed of the thread, and hopefully get some exact figures for my hunches. If anypony has any IRC logs of a full day or so, could you send them to me or point me where to find them? I'd really appreciate it. I want to run those against the ponythread for the duration measured.


This is odd because even with the slowdown its still busiest part of the Media Disscussion forum. Makes me wonder where you were hanging out before?

My guess is that Newman is new to these forums in general.


Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Welcome to the herd!


We have a seperate RP thread now?

...no wonder...


Bridle Shores has been running since late March of this year. I'm not sure of it's current status, but I believe it still is running. (Can somepony confirm/deny these allegations? I think the last post was within the last 2 weeks or so.)


DO IT.

Er, by that I mean the Ask Blogs tend to be fairly forgiving of multiple ponies. Heck, I've got like three Pinkie Pies in my regular stash. But to my knowledge...no. I do not think there is an exclusive Ask Derpy blog. She's been partnered up with other ponies, but she has none to call her own! You must help this homeless pony, oh Captain, my Captain! Rise up, and draw the ponies!

I have 3 Raritys I believe, 2 DJ Pon3s, and a couple Octavias. And nothing else, except for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.


Why do I feel ignored?:smallfrown:

Edit: oh wait, that's probably because I posted on a birthday.
Uhh...
Here's your present?

It's finals week, but I'll try to read through your fic when I get the chance. Be warned: I suck at giving feedback other than "That's nice." I'll try to be a little more critical.

[Aotrs Commander]

And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

Happy Birthday!

And it's good to see you around again, actually, as I didn't mention this before...


They're both online daily.

Well, it's good to know they're still floating around somewhere...

Someone tell 'em they can hide in the short and even medium term, but to remind them that I can eventually reach any point in time, space, life, death and Reality...

[Beacon of Chaos]

So Everfree Radio (http://everfreeradio.com/) had an interview with Scootaloo's voice actress. One tidbit to note:
She recorded another song. Scootaloo is going to be signing again. May Celestia have mercy on us all!

Anyway: Image Dump!

Something for Zevox, since I know he likes Screwball and Derpy:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/18b9288212adc861827d3879701d973a/97212%20-%20artist%3Acactusheart%20A_Hearth_Warming%27s_Tal e_movie%20derpy_hooves%20pole%20scarves%20screwbal l%20stuck%20tongue%20winter.jpg

Pony Princess crossover:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/71a9197dc445c34b6ea4032df76e7dae/97250%20-%20artist%3Ajohn_joseco%20celestia%20crossover%20j oseco-verload%20luna%20peach%20ponified%20tea_party%20Ze lda.jpg

Adorable tiny ponies:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/e8b90d08a7dbbd60769480d2bcafad43/97433%20-%20applejack%20artist%3Ayubi%20fluttershy%20pinkie _pie%20rainbow_dash%20rarity.jpg

Terrible pun, awesome work:
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-untitled.jpg

Woah!
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-where-are-you.jpg

Cupcakes! The good kind!
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-mane-six-cupcakes.png

This just makes me laugh:
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-the-blame-lies-with-you.png

[Gaelbert]

So Everfree Radio (http://everfreeradio.com/) had an interview with Scootaloo's voice actress. One tidbit to note:
She recorded another song. Scootaloo is going to be signing again. May Celestia have mercy on us all!


I've heard the CMC's voices aren't going to be derped this time.

[Deadly]

So Everfree Radio (http://everfreeradio.com/) had an interview with Scootaloo's voice actress. One tidbit to note:
She recorded another song. Scootaloo is going to be signing again. May Celestia have mercy on us all!

http://i.imgur.com/aRDpW.png Yaaaaaaaaay!


Woah!
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-where-are-you.jpg

You know, I'm more curious about that alicorn Twilight next to him :smallconfused: I hope that's not an omen of anything

[Beacon of Chaos]

You know, I'm more curious about that alicorn Twilight next to him :smallconfused: I hope that's not an omen of anything
...Twilight?

http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/d3ff48f98e755033ae974a43cb9dbe7f/96132%20-%20Alicorn%20castle%20comb%20comparison%20cupcake% 20Hasbro%20HasbrOC%20human%20princess_cadence%20ra ccoon%20recolor%20saddle%20shining_armor%20toy%20w edding.jpg

Anyway, one last image before I head to bed. Warning: HNNNNNNG Factor 4:
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/7d2f2912544d8619c08f6147f785f16d/97465%20-%20apple_bloom%20artist%3ANyn~%20cute%20scarf.png
G'night, Ponythread!

[the_druid_droid]

First off, happy birthday MCerberus! Now where did I put my birthday cannon...?


DO IT.

Er, by that I mean the Ask Blogs tend to be fairly forgiving of multiple ponies. Heck, I've got like three Pinkie Pies in my regular stash. But to my knowledge...no. I do not think there is an exclusive Ask Derpy blog. She's been partnered up with other ponies, but she has none to call her own! You must help this homeless pony, oh Captain, my Captain! Rise up, and draw the ponies!

I'm with the adorable pirate on this one! I'd totally read it, though it's probably only fair to warn you that at least initially some of these blogs seem to have issues with random anon trolling...


Here's an unrelated comic, which made me giggle like a mad little filly... new episode spoiler
(source) (http://niban-destikim.deviantart.com/art/Lasso-Spike-273369585)
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/344/c/f/lasso_spike_by_niban_destikim-d4ir9bl.jpg

I love that pony's comics... now, back to writing! I go!

Oh my...these ponies just can't be trusted around rope...

Derp Edit: Oh right, I was totally going to propose a pony for Thanqol to draw. Ha ha, I am certainly not taking advantage of his drawing practice to get him to draw things for me...not at all!

Pony Description:
Name: Cloudy Skies
Race: Pegasus Pony
Colors: (Thanqol's choice)
Cutie Mark: (Again, artist's interpretation)
Special Talent: Toughness
Description: Cloudy is something of an unusual pony; his defining feature is that he's surprisingly resilient, even by marshmallow pony standards. This is fortunate, because he usually finds himself in the thick of things, working for the Weather Bureau as a storm specialist, either dissipating inclement weather before it can wreak havoc, or redirecting it to locations scheduled for a rough patch. Of course, really serious weather is fairly infrequent, so to keep busy, he usually has to travel over a fair bit of Equestria on storm patrol.

The long hours and wide range of his job have made Cloudy a strong endurance flier, although his speed leaves something to be desired, and he only has a small cloud house, since he's away so often. On a personal level, the pegasus is almost the epitome of Fortitude, strongly believing that it's better for him to risk getting hurt than to let others come to harm. He tends to apply this to emotional as well as physical issues though, which can make him seem stubborn or a bit overbearing, but he's the pony you want by your side in a pinch, since once he's put hoof to a job, it's guaranteed he'll see it through.

[Deadly]

...Twilight?

http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/d3ff48f98e755033ae974a43cb9dbe7f/96132%20-%20Alicorn%20castle%20comb%20comparison%20cupcake% 20Hasbro%20HasbrOC%20human%20princess_cadence%20ra ccoon%20recolor%20saddle%20shining_armor%20toy%20w edding.jpg

Hmm, well it looked like Twilight to me. I guess it's just another of those random recolored ponies they seem to mass produce. Still... alicorn? And the design is kinda interesting.

[Gamerlord]

You know, I'm more curious about that alicorn Twilight next to him :smallconfused: I hope that's not an omen of anything
I don't think it's Twilight. And it probably isn't an omen of anything, since these were most likely either A: HasbOCs of employees or B: A parody of the UK royal wedding they had a few months ago. Though there is a rumor spreading around the interwebs that the mane cast will attend their wedding for the second season finale, that might be interesting if it turns out to be true, particularly if the villain Jayson mentioned in the old BroNYcon interview that has yet to appear appears.

[MCerberus]

It should be known that 'Pony wears the saddle!" is perhaps the most hilarious exclamation in advertising.

That doesn't come from terrible translations.
I <3 Engrish

[Trixie]

Happy Birthday, too...

And a shame, had this marked and wanted to be first, but I'm so overloaded recently I can't even post, much less catch up, at all...


I can't even legitimately claim to be the only comparitvely sane person on the thread anymore

... http://i.imgur.com/N2nfK.jpg

Pardon me, sir, since when pretending to be evil lich with absolutely despicable daily behaviour is considered to be sane and in what parts of the universe?

...also, I think that title has a better pretender :P

[Deadly]

I don't think it's Twilight. And it probably isn't an omen of anything, since these were most likely either A: HasbOCs of employees or B: A parody of the UK royal wedding they had a few months ago. Though there is a rumor spreading around the interwebs that the mane cast will attend their wedding for the second season finale, that might be interesting if it turns out to be true, particularly if the villain Jayson mentioned in the old BroNYcon interview that has yet to appear appears.

I'm not sure what to think about such a rumor.

[Capt. Ido Nos]

I don't think it's Twilight. And it probably isn't an omen of anything, since these were most likely either A: HasbOCs of employees or B: A parody of the UK royal wedding they had a few months ago. Though there is a rumor spreading around the interwebs that the mane cast will attend their wedding for the second season finale, that might be interesting if it turns out to be true, particularly if the villain Jayson mentioned in the old BroNYcon interview that has yet to appear appears.
This is in fact B. It was on Reddit a few internet weeks ago. I hadn't actually seen the pictures, but those are pretty spot on! I didn't notice the Alicorn-ness, but it would make sense that they would be.


Happy Birthday! I shall do a happy dance in your honor!

*dances like a fooligan*



DO IT.

Er, by that I mean the Ask Blogs tend to be fairly forgiving of multiple ponies. Heck, I've got like three Pinkie Pies in my regular stash. But to my knowledge...no. I do not think there is an exclusive Ask Derpy blog. She's been partnered up with other ponies, but she has none to call her own! You must help this homeless pony, oh Captain, my Captain! Rise up, and draw the ponies!


I'm with the adorable pirate on this one! I'd totally read it, though it's probably only fair to warn you that at least initially some of these blogs seem to have issues with random anon trolling...

Guess I know what I'm going to be practicing drawing for the next week solid!

Also, I have no problems with anon trolling. The sheer amount of the lack of bucks I give to that sort of thing may come as a shock. (Plus, they open themselves up to be mocked by my little pony.) I mean really guys.

[Topaz]

And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*
Happy Birthday!
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-classic-th-birthday-cake.jpg

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.
Welcome to the herd!
COME HUG ME BRONY!
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg62/HybridFeline/TopazDancing.png
RE: New Perspectives Part Six

Apple family backstory with Pegasi cousin. It helps explain a lot about Granny's attitude. I hope we get to meet this cousin and find out more about them. Also, more on how Fluttershy is coping, since it's been a fairly AJ heavy chapter.

I'm intrigued by this story, looking forward to more ^^
There will be more of Fluttershy in Part Seven (though it does remain more of an AJ story overall) and more of Fuji in either Part Seven or Eight, depending on how the pacing ends up going.

Okay, given (show) Trixie's over-the-top theatrics reminded me of a certain wizard of Oz, I made this fanfiction. Critiques are welcome.
I'm enjoying it, and the various references that you are slipping in. Twilight better watch out, she'll break the fourth wall herself if she's not careful. :smallbiggrin:

You know, I'm more curious about that alicorn Twilight next to him :smallconfused: I hope that's not an omen of anything
I mentioned this when EqD posted it (since taken down). Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's wedding was apparently part of an official Hasbro UK event, but there's no indication that it was anything but a one-off tribute to the Royal Wedding.

On the general topic of pony reproduction: I note that the pony families we see aren't terribly large; the Apple Family is huge in total, but appears to be a very extended clan. The Pies and the Sweet Apple Acres family have three offspring each, Rarity's family has two, and there's no indication from the show that Twilight, Rainbow or Fluttershy have siblings; in addition, it seems like a lot of the pony families we see have spaced out their offspring (the Pies appear to be the big exception).

Since we also see no sign of high foal mortality, this would seem to imply that either ponies have control of their fertility, or that pony fertility is very low or otherwise constrained (unicorn pon farr?).

[Gaelbert]

I'm not normally a fan of humanized pictures, but these are really, really good.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/230/e/e/rarity_by_lolip-d472sg6.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc230/Shyria_Dracnoir/RaritySweetieBelleHumans.jpg

[Soras Teva Gee]

You know, I'm more curious about that alicorn Twilight next to him :smallconfused: I hope that's not an omen of anything

We know its not Twilight, there's a second pic to that one that seems to have mostly disappeared but:

http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/bedf02ab6dc02447e3e9b46e69b07fee/95643%20-%20Alicorn%20applejack%20apple_bloom%20castle%20Cu tie_Mark_Crusaders%20fluttershy%20Hasbro%20HasbrOC %20human%20pinkie_pie%20princess_cadence%20rainbow _dash%20rarity%20scootaloo%20shining_armor%20Sweet ie_Belle%20twilight_sparkle%20wedding.jpg

Which settles more or less what is going on. I will also comment that is not show quality art under the LQ so I'm thinking this was thrown together just for an event.

[Tectonic Robot]

Oh really now? I don't think Faithful would be very happy to hear that...
Ok, well, maybe one shi...
I require a picture of a female fox hugging a hobo-pony.

It's, um, for a story. Yeah. That's the bunny.



RAZETTE WOULD LIKE A WORD, RAGGEDY.[/QUOTE]
...ok, that would be an awesome picture, but you gotta describe it more! And maybe two ships then...



Faithful song and Candles, as well as Ponsoon and Candles and Raggedy and Razette will be very sad about this.

See?

SEE?!
...Ok, three ships, but no canon ponies!

[Thanqol]

First, I'd like to say that I am so happy for you, Thanqol, and it's about time somepony recognized your genius. The Old Stories is one of those stories I wish I had come up with, and it resonates so well. Plus, I'm a dapper fox in a tie. What's not to love?

Secondly, thank you, Thanqol. You have given me the creative fuel I need to finish my professional creative writing portfolio and get cracking on ponies: sheer seething envy.

Cue Green-Eyed Jealousy remixes, please.

It's okay. We can't all be internet celebrities.


Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

Welcome aboard.


Meh. I'm awake this late anyway, may as well potentially reap the benefits of something or other.

Name: Sandy Shores
Race: Unicorn
Special Talent: Sand-sculpting/Sandy working. Sand-based spells come easy to him, and his specialty is hardening sand and sculpting it. ("I just remind the sand it used to be a rock, and there you go.") His cutie mark is a calm shoreline, think a flat wave washing up on a beach. If that's too complicated, a sandcastle could work too.
Coat Color: Pale Blue
Mane Color: Sandy-tan, with darker flecks strewn about. Gives it a sorta grainy appearance. Tail can be the same, or just normal tan is cool too.
Eye Color: Haven't thought that deeply about it. Your choice.
Other Notable descriptions: He's a bit on the short side.

Background: He's a southern, Appleousan-type pony who went away for his degree in beach maintenance, seeing how it was the best job he could find that'd let him work with sand a lot. His accent is all but gone, but he still tends towards the phrases of his hometown.

Personality: Sandy is a hopelessly lost straight man pony amid a world of comical marshmellow ponies. This tends to leave him overreacting over first impressions of a situation. That said, he is rather competent under such stress.

When he's not flipping out over a perceived crisis, he's a stalwart friend who makes a point of always keeping his word, and is rather personable. He loathes arguments, and avoids them at all costs, which usually means stepping down and letting somepony else get their way.



I hope that's not too eclectic. It's a short evalutation of my main RP pony done at 4 in the morning, but I'm trying my best.

Drawing all the ponies.

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1733/day209i.jpg

[RdMarquis]

Hey guys, what's a septum?

http://egophiliac.deviantart.com/#/d4ivlbg


First off, happy birthday MCerberus! Now where did I put my birthday cannon...?

On an unrelated note, Happy Birthday, MCerberus. :smallbiggrin:

Also, after screwing up my sleep schedule and snoozing through most of the thread, I'm slowly, but steadily catching up. See you all in about ten pages.

[Eakin]

Hey guys, what's a septum?

http://egophiliac.deviantart.com/#/d4ivlbg



On an unrelated note, Happy Birthday, MCerberus. :smallbiggrin:

Also, after screwing up my sleep schedule and snoozing through most of the thread, I'm slowly, but steadily catching up. See you all in about ten pages.

Technically, it's a wall that divides a large bodily cavity into smaller ones. Humans have several (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septum)

So while I'm not sure exactly how this guy would have injured himself, I bet it would have hurt a LOT.

Poor Fluttershy, that would be a tough way to grow up. Might explain a lot actually.

Also, happy birthday MCerberus!

[Soras Teva Gee]

I found a reference to horses having a septum in their nose but it makes little sense to talk about it separating to me. I'm guessing a random choice akin to technobabble.

[MCerberus]

Thanks again to the birthday wishes.
And it's obvious that comic is referencing the time he destroyed his gold coin of the Cyrodillic empire.

Before he took an arrow to the knee.

[TheAmishPirate]

Drawing all the ponies.

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1733/day209i.jpg

Nice! It's interesting to see ponies in a non-show style, and I'm definitely digging the look you've got here. He just looks so...completely unamused with whatever he is looking at.

Also, many thanks for drawing my pony. :smallsmile:


I found a reference to horses having a septum in their nose but it makes little sense to talk about it separating to me. I'm guessing a random choice akin to technobabble.

Most references to the septum I've heard of are basically whacking your nose on something and it gets out of line.

[Titanium Fox]

So, I need to give SiuiS all of the hugs. All of them.

http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/fss/7ab953cc4c21409ae35cb0fc00977d41

[mikeejimbo]

Septum? Dang near killed 'em!

[Tiki Snakes]

Yeah, Septum in common useage over here always seems to mean the dividing bit of your nose, that keeps your nostrils from being a nostril.
Unless you do too much cocaine, in which case it may decide to stop doing that apparently, but I'm assuming that he ran into something face first rather than it being due to the wild lifestyle that leads a pony to attempt such mad manouvers.
Unless he rammed head-first into the Weather Factory's Cocaine room...
Oh, and Imperial Septums. They call them that because you nose what they're worth? Except they're called septims.

[MCerberus]

Oh Septim, you were Jean Luc for 5 minutes before you died, and now we're making nose jokes involving ponies.

[Dirtbag]

Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

OH OH! HAI. ^^ *Waves*

Glad you posted. I look forward to seeing you in the IRC again. ^^

Also, *hugs* :3

[SiuiS]

I should have specified "totalitarian dictatorships of a scale we've never seen, ever." Take a look at proposed utopias from the 18th century. The level of social engineering in those is immense, far beyond the capability of any modern government, and I've seen little to no evidence of that within Equestria. Unless, of course, the social engineering was implemented thousands of years before and was so successful that it took hold for every generation thereafter. But then our "evidence" is having no visible evidence, which doesn't fly for me.

I'd love to discuss this further with you, as I have a different perspective on the matter, but I'm afraid much more and we'll be over the line as far as the forum rules go.

I'd like logs, or to be there when/if this conversation goes down. It sounds marvelous.

From what I can see, a lot of the problem is that background assumptions are easily disproven, but then the results of those assumptions are kept.

If a dictator is one who dictates, who could utterly command a country into ruin, it doesn't matter if they do, they are still a dictator. What most folks are uncomfortable with is the connotation (negative feelings attached to the concept) of a dictator.

We also see that, in general, ponies are more stand-up than we expect the average human to be. This extends all the way; pony on pony violence is limited to small, family scuffles. Theft is handled by "what the hay you jerk! Give it back!". The destruction of Ponyville is handled by community service non-punitively by everyone, because they don't wan their neighbors to suffer.

The requirements of a government to manage and be strict just aren't there in Equestria. Each individual pony is nicer, more harmonious, so each clique is too. And each social system. And each small governmental body, etc, all the way up. The ponies have a horribly strict government that lies fallow because 99% of the time it's not needed. Everyone is nice because everyone is nice. How is that not utopian?

Granted, Equestria isn't a dictatorship at all. It's a pure Theocracy. The living Sun and Moon rule. Those who are granted their authority can delegate for them. And everypony is ok with this.

And now we are at the point where I need to stop or it's against board rules. So I guess I'll hash it out next time I'm on IRC. So long as we're still friends after :smallsmile:


There's nothing weird about the ruler of Equestria being a Princess. It just means that properly speaking, it is (or perhaps was?) a Principality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality).*

And yeah, Celestia is over a thousand years old. I'm not going to buy the horse-lifespan concept anytime soon.

Celestia is probably an exception. I could see ponies having elf-like lifespans, or maybe half-elf. But that's not verifiable like, at all.

Sadly, the actual canon answer is "does it matter?"


Before I start on these I should deal with my backlog, which consists mostly of Wet Mane Midnight.

I'm a man of my worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/964/day208ek.jpg

*nods* I can work with this.
She is um... Not very happy looking though.


EDIT: Aha, there's pictures of the NSW meetup

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFP6rNRHY1g/TuXEweqXPpI/AAAAAAAAXmY/2lJqzaLK_js/s1600/1.jpg

Blastech is the handsome devil in the brown jacket. You should be able to recognise my hat. The guy holding the flag is some random we grabbed off the street.

"What is this, like, a rock and roll concert thing?"
"Yeah. Something like that."

He was weirdly understanding when we told him we were into ponies.

[Also, Blastech, if you've got access to more photos could you link them?

Also also, I'm reminded - the song I was recommending, Something Broke (http://soundcloud.com/tarbyrocks/something-broke). ]

Blastech looks like a cool bloke.

And Uh, that cheesy movie hitman look- are you going for that on purpose? Totally approve.


SO. RANDOM NEWS. I can now be reached by all American and Canadian numbers, for free, at...

*Drum Roll*

(781)-309-PONY

I am way to excited about this. (If you have my old number it still works, don't worry.)

Aaaahhh. It all clicks now. Cool.

I would totally do something like that if I had a computer, and haven't had the same phone number since I was able to get my own phone...

Sidenote: California people are weird. I never understood the concept of always changing your number. Think someone is gonna harass you? Don't give out the number in the first place!

I guess it's because I cut my teeth on a land line.



Except we see in the new episode Hahahahaha! No spoilers for you! Bet you thought I'd be too lazy to mess with the white text, huh? Nope! —S

This. So much this. Since they no longer have to fight outside forces whatsoever, the Equestrian society has become naive and almost childlike. And you know what they say, if children ran the world...

I actually have no idea what the rest of that saying is. Enlighten me?



I would honestly think that Equestrian society is in some form socialist. Ponies can and do make their own money via the free market, however instead of each town collecting taxes, it seems as though all 'government' money flows from one big pot from Celestia herself, who governs who needs what and how much. A very micromanagey approach to money distribution. She's had thousands of years to learn perfect economics.

True, but I don't think the economics extend that far. Why would they?

Let's say that we are talking about the rebuilding of Ponyville. Why pay for that directly, when you can just supply actual man-hours ? We have several ponies whose cutie marks are in carpentry. I'm sure they would love a chance to both practice their favoritest hobby EVER, as well as the joy of helping their fellow ponies.

But where do supplies come from? Well, the foreman pony, whose cutie mark involves organizing pony labor, finally gets a chance to shine, and engages an unofficial press-gang of volunteers. But why would they volunteer? Because carpenter pony helped with their houses, and is probably helping with their houses right now. And besides! There's a party for everypony who helps, and who would miss out on a Pinkie Pie Party!?

But where do the party foodstuffs come from? Why, they're communal, aren't they? After all, AJ led an entire third of the town into a farming chain to feed the place, while another third specifically cleared the weather for just such an activity. What's wrong with trusting somepony else to take care of the cooking and prep for you? I mean, you're doing chef pony and resteraunteer pony a favor by letting them engage themselves, of course they'll help feed you for your efforts.

Equestria is like a public school in America. You're provided (and provide) everything, and on the side there is that school bucks program where you can earn points (bits) and Buy frivolities (like hips or replacing extraneous barns or buying fancy but unnecessary dresses ;)), but that has nothing to do with the necessities being given to you.

There is a supposed social dichotomy between freedom and harmony. Harmony requires suborning freedom to the Greater Good, and Freedom requires admitting that others have the right to disrupt harmony. Equestria benefits from not having the human element; ponies have ultimate freedom and ultimate harmony, because they are both so absolute that they don't conflict at all. A pony is a cog in the greater machine, and when it runs smoothly it is utterly harmonious. Butthe mahine won't fall apart without that one pony; there is no overwhelming pressure for that pony to perform to "expectations", to suborn the Self for the Other or for Society. That pony could decide to take to the road and live a hermits life and everypony else would be ok with that.

Ponyville, Equestria, presents itself as everything I wish society could be, really. That's a big part of the setting's draw for me. Except under the most specialized and narrow examination, it works.



Somepony needs to ponify this entire song. And animate dat Cheerilee.

oh heavens yes. All my volunteer man hours. All of them. Haha! Socialism joke.


Spoilered for... discussion of equine reproduction
I have no problem with them being romantically and sexually active. I mean, we love shipping don't we? :smalltongue:

I still don't get your fascination with RarityxSpike. I just can't see it. But whatever, we can and do ship anything the hay we want around here.

Just a few quick thoughts on the topic. If they are mature around age 3-4 that does imply they can start mating around that age. Seems perfectly logical and reasonable to me. I've always assumed the mane 6 were in the prime age for that sort of thing, and that the CMCs were just around puberty (cutie marks representing the point of maturity, roughly). I have no problem with this.

It's worth considering how humans are able to get by with very few children on average, because of how technology has removed a lot of the threats and struggles of previous times (where it was very common to have tons of children because many died or because many were needed to work the farms and whatever, also in great part a cultural development). Equestrian ponies, having a very developed society, probably has it much the same, getting only the absolute minimum number of children needed to sustain the race. Or even fewer, as is increasingly the case for modern humans in the western world.

I've kinda been thinking maybe harems aren't uncommon, the idea that one or more of the mane 6 (usually either Pinkie, Dash or Twilight in my head) are very promiscuous :smallbiggrin:

Except for the ages (for previous reasons) I mostly agree.

I would actually like to collate all of the non-human behaviors that we agree ponies probably have, and write a fic sort of exploring all of their alien habits. Because that's where the real gold is: ponies are sentients, And I attribute sentient qualities to them rather than pony qualities (which is why the short lifespan feels strange, and why pony R34 isn't any worse than regular R34 to me), and sentients who are just subtly off have always been so much more intriguing than very alien things.


Ah HA! Shipping! That's something I can comment on!

I have no ships. None of them. Not a single ship.

Ohho?

Faithful Song and Ponsoon may wish to have words with you.


Oh really now? I don't think Faithful would be very happy to hear that...

I like how we are both concerned with an almost overdeity's emotional stability XD



Dat sweet Gummy lovi- ponythread what are you doing to my brain

Giving you an outlet for what is already there ;P


First, I'd like to say that I am so happy for you, Thanqol, and it's about time somepony recognized your genius. The Old Stories is one of those stories I wish I had come up with, and it resonates so well. Plus, I'm a dapper fox in a tie. What's not to love?

Hm. That depends - bow or long?
The tie, I mean.


Secondly, thank you, Thanqol. You have given me the creative fuel I need to finish my professional creative writing portfolio and get cracking on ponies: sheer seething envy.

Cue Green-Eyed Jealousy remixes, please.

Aye, he's good at that.
*seethes*



I require a picture of a female fox hugging a hobo-pony.

It's, um, for a story. Yeah. That's the bunny.


Sure Thi- wait, Raggedy?
Hm. No clue what he looks like.

And Razette would just end up being an anthrofox, and I have NO IDEA if I could draw that. You kind of need coloring skills to draw a good fox, aye?


No idea actually.*

I suspect that, in the wild, it's the case, like many herd animals, that the male are solitary if they can't bully their way into controlling a harem. (And fights for control can be quite vicious and also quite ritualised, especially among zebras.)

I've actually had to point that out before, but only in the context of centaur characters meeting that one geek who plays a chick to do "hawt things".

Most people tune out when I bring up that hooves are often sharp, and the lady horse can end up cut pretty badly, if superficially.


From what (Admittedly, that isn't much) I know about horses, I believe the alpha stallion chases out any other males, who end up forming bachelor groups with other stallions if they can't find their own herd in which they train to become stronger. Maybe in Equestria that is what the military is composed of?

See? This. This right here.

How do we write a fic about this that fits current canon and doesn't deviate? A masterpiece, if pulled off.


Wow. I guess this is a cue we really have slowed down. We opened up an IRC channel that diverted a lot of insanity, and our speed has nearly cut in half, if not gotten even slower than that. We used to go through a thread in two to three days.

I think IRC just diminished our crest while leaving the trough unabated.

More to the point...

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.



Speaking of ponysanity, anybody seen Esper or Midnight around lately (it's getting hard to tell which from which...) Or Kris Strife, for that matter? Are they frequenting the IRC or have they just dropped out of sight completely?

Noted in a future quotepost, actually. I harangued Esper for not posting more (or will harangue, since for you folks it hasn't happened yet ;P) when I quoted his one appearance at like, page 34 of last thread.

Kris disappeared even earlier; I haven't seen him in thread in what feels like months, so probably like two weeks.


Ah well, time for Monday's RPG session...

Mumblegrumble friends with games they can play that don't require waiting for Australians to wake up rassunfrassun.

Need to whip my group into shapeno that would be weird, need to get my group active again. Stupid month and a half of*solid work...


And before I forget *puts on birthday feathered cap and starts the extortion*

HAPPY NATAL DAY!


i haven't posted here in a few dozen pages, are we still on the episode were rairity becomes populer in canterlot?

Nope! Now we're on the episode after that one, which is still spoilers so I'm gonna shut up now.


Hello ponythread! I've been lurking since thread 6 or so, and just now decided to actually post something! But I have no idea what to say and I don't even have an offer of ponies. Just dropping in to say, well, hi.

WELCOME WAGON ENGAGED

http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/06c7d0d2105a1314ea928cadd5a55a09/7961%20-%20animated%20jumping%20scootaloo.gif
http://arch.413chan.net/1288640640381.png
http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb426/AwesomeHolzy/Welcome-to-the-Herd.gif
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/LordRyu/bronies/index.php.jpg
http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/0da1a106ff7923e0fb2630d06310c636/12549%20-%20macro%20scootaloo.jpg



Here's a pretty safe bet: go to Equestria Daily and look for Drawfriend Stuff, or to Know Your Meme's My Little Pony page's image gallery, or to bonibooru, and select the most awesome images and just post them here under a spoiler tag.

AND MORE WELCOME WAGON
BOTH BARRELS FIRE

http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/06c7d0d2105a1314ea928cadd5a55a09/7961%20-%20animated%20jumping%20scootaloo.gif
http://arch.413chan.net/1288640640381.png
http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb426/AwesomeHolzy/Welcome-to-the-Herd.gif
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/LordRyu/bronies/index.php.jpg
http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/0da1a106ff7923e0fb2630d06310c636/12549%20-%20macro%20scootaloo.jpg




YOU SAY YOU WANT A CONTRIBUTIO-ON, WE-ELL YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANNA SEE THE PLOT

Not sure if potential guild member or making joke


Ahh yes ... "photos" ... the visual medium allegedly showing evidence of mass ponysanity near famous Sydney Landmarks ... we have dismissed that claim.

*As he's saying this, Iggy sneaks in behind and sets up the following slideshow*


http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392292_261519950570209_100001366171474_672535_6190 54796_n.jpg

(In case anyone was having trouble imagining the ponysanity on the steps of the Opera House, this visual mock-up should help.)

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/392077_261520047236866_100001366171474_672538_1780 643422_n.jpg

Yes, there are some ponies climbing on the top of that metal death trap, the rest of us are quite sensibly sitting inside it!

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/377150_261520393903498_100001366171474_672546_2034 327444_n.jpg

Picnic under a big tree

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/388012_261521233903414_100001366171474_672563_5752 86205_n.jpg

The brony group seems to have a thing for awesome hats. Not pictured here is Thanqol's awesome hat with the pocket Berry Punch tucked into the band.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/389970_261520747236796_100001366171474_672553_9248 00263_n.jpg

All hail the videos of pony!

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384894_261520153903522_100001366171474_672540_2089 093604_n.jpg

Different angle of the metal death trap. Also pictured is Thanqol's awesome hat :smallsmile:

Still rockin' dat cereal killa look mate. I'm proud!

Has anypony ever fantasizes about removing the scythe, axe, or both, and then running amok?

And inside the deathtrap? Yeah, that's sensible.



*Dives out window*

At this point, I have to wonder. Why the hay do we even still have a door!?*http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3931/rolleyes0qd.gif


One thing you are forgetting is that life expectancy is curved heavily by infant mortality. *When someone says that life expectancy was 30 or 40 in the Middle Ages, they mean that so many infants and young children died that the average life span was tilted in that direction. *In reality, reaching say 50, 60 or beyond was not uncommon.

Huh. Didn't know that... Is there any way I could verify that? It would cast a lot of things in a different light.



Welcome!

http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/0da1a106ff7923e0fb2630d06310c636/12549%20-%20macro%20scootaloo.jpg
http://ponibooru.413chan.net/_images/06c7d0d2105a1314ea928cadd5a55a09/7961%20-%20animated%20jumping%20scootaloo.gif
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/12427447003ed688e7fd46938de172c3/6814%20-%20animated%20cute%20filly%20gif%20twilight_sparkl e%20young.gif
http://img.ponibooru.org/_images/b5c57a57b220323e6498818f0b4f1405/84939%20-%20Trixie%20artist%3Alovemimi%20cart%20great_and_p owerful_trixie.jpg


Ach! A [thing] and a Dramatic Town Entering Gypsy-view?! That's dirty pool, mate. How could I compete!?


So Everfree Radio (http://everfreeradio.com/) had an interview with Scootaloo's voice actress. One tidbit to note:
She recorded another song. Scootaloo is going to be signing again. May Celestia have mercy on us all!

Anyway: Image Dump!

Cupcakes! The good kind!
http://chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-mane-six-cupcakes.png

I want Rarity's cupcake so bad. O_O



You know, I'm more curious about that alicorn Twilight next to him :smallconfused: I hope that's not an omen of anything

Her official(?) name is Princess Cadence.

*draws a window on the wall with chalk, and dives through it into chalkzone*

[Tiki Snakes]

So, yeah, I'm not saying that I'd expect to see granny smith pushing her second millenia or something, but given that the Allicorns can apparently expect to live to that kind of age, It really just doesn't jive with me at all, on any level, that we should expect the other ponies to have real-world-horse-based anything, let alone lifespans. I figure they default to human lifespans, with possibly slightly different rates of physical and/or mental maturation as nebulously suggested by Faust.

But then I also am not sold on the idea of Celestia and Luna being Gods, genuinely Godlike, or personifications of cosmic principles, which seem to be some of the most popular theories. I like to consider them much more simply at the level of Pony+. Powerful and potentially long lived, but still legitimately outmatched against, say, Discord without working together in at least a pair with the aid of powerful macguffins.

I do prefer to think that there were ponys and pony society long before they came to power or were even born, too, rather them being creator-figures. We know that the two of them overthrew Discord, and have had at least one other castle which for whatever reason is ruined and abandoned.
My own headcanon goes vaguely along the lines of Discord possibly being involved somehow, nebulously, in the way Equestria worked before it became the Equestria we know. Perhaps he broke the land that would become Equestria with his chaotic hijinks, leaving the laws of physics a bit wonky, and the weather not functioning on it's own anymore. Maybe he was actually some kind of nature spirit, or some similar arrangement, and by combating him the Allicorn's broke it. That, in my mind, is why they need a weather factory and why the sun and moon need to be handled by Allicorns, (in some nebulous off-screen way).

Even with the assumption that the Everfree forest is basically how the rest of the world works, I still figure it's pretty scientifically fuzzy and magical, so basically In my own version, if Luna had won and made it eternal night, they could still have trekked to the other side of the Everfree forest, into the wider world and the non-pony-run night/day cycle would have been continuing just as normal, it would only be eternal night in Equestria.
If I was the type to ever write my own version of 'Rainbow Factory', (because the song is awesome and the fic is badwrong on most possible levels) then that would kind of be my mental starting point.

[MCerberus]

And then there's the theory that this, like ALL fantasy settings is post-apocalyptic. Perhaps Discord is an aspect of or remembers the before-times. Which brings us to the best crossover ever:

On the other side of the Everfree forest is Ooo, and the ponies are just happy they never have to deal with knife-storms.

[BlasTech]

Blastech looks like a cool bloke.

And Uh, that cheesy movie hitman look- are you going for that on purpose? Totally approve.

...

Still rockin' dat cereal killa look mate. I'm proud!

Has anypony ever fantasizes about removing the scythe, axe, or both, and then running amok?

And inside the deathtrap? Yeah, that's sensible.


Sorry to disappoint, but it's simply my complete lack of fashion sense at play here. OR IS IT?! :smalltongue:

And yes, the Axe and Scythe (as well as a sword or two on the back) were noticed, unfortunately they appeared to be solidly affixed to the deathtrap ... perhaps as bait?

And in continuation to the above white text ... "yes, yes it is. I have a very extensive wardrobe that ranges from bad to horribad and everything in between."

[otakuryoga]

video'd version of that Pinkie Pie at cancer ward comic from a while back

http://youtu.be/lG5D38M_dok

[Callos_DeTerran]

But then I also am not sold on the idea of Celestia and Luna being Gods, genuinely Godlike, or personifications of cosmic principles, which seem to be some of the most popular theories. I like to consider them much more simply at the level of Pony+. Powerful and potentially long lived, but still legitimately outmatched against, say, Discord without working together in at least a pair with the aid of powerful macguffins.

I'm not sold on this either. In my own head-canon, Luna and Celestia are very powerful magic users (obviously!) and each have the ability and talent to raise the sun/moon (respectively) which...is a far shot from what any other pony can possibly do. But that's pretty much it. Celestia seems more like an immortal (in the un-aging sense) sorceress then she does a divine figure, as opposed to Discord were you actually get that 'personification of a cosmic property (Chaos/Disharmony)' vibe.

I mean this doesn't diminish Celestia and Luna's importance to Equistria at all, in a country where the ponies make seemingly most things happen (weather, seasonal changes, etc.), the two ponies who change the position of stellar bodies are obviously the shoe-ins for royalty.

In either case, some of the questions revolving around the founding of Equistria are bound to be answered on Saturday! Just as massive piles of fanon are set ablaze in a mighty conflagration! Questions I hope to see answered...more about Discord's reign of terror, what possibly might have corrupted Luna into Nightmare Moon(I'm in favor of Discord having done it, but I'll probably be happy with whatever is actually decided), and what was before Equistria.

...I'll also point out that, considering there's only two song-free episodes left and new episode on Friday is a holiday episode, I think we're pretty much guaranteed a song! Possibly quite a few of them actually! C'mon Danial Ingrams, finally give me Rarity and Sweetie Belle singing a duet!

[Topaz]

Fluttershoop and Rainbow Splash!
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/346/7/b/more_sea_ponies_by_kp_shadowsquirrel-d4ixbcb.jpg

[Kindablue]

Sidenote: California people are weird. I never understood the concept of always changing your number. Think someone is gonna harass you? Don't give out the number in the first place!

I guess it's because I cut my teeth on a land line.

Sometimes I think I have too many enemies. My cellphone's address book is standing at about 20 variations of "DO NOT ANSWER" at the moment.

[otakuryoga]

...I'll also point out that, considering there's only two song-free episodes left and new episode on Friday is a holiday episode, I think we're pretty much guaranteed a song! Possibly quite a few of them actually! C'mon Danial Ingrams, finally give me Rarity and Sweetie Belle singing a duet!

regarding the hub promos with the carolers that has a few seconds of footage from this upcoming episode....
i just want to know who that is and what they did with the real Rarity...because Rarity would NEVER wear such a tacky monstrosity as that christmas tree hat!!

[otakuryoga]

Sidenote: California people are weird.

hey...i resemble that remark

best way i ever heard CA described is as granola...take out all the fruits and nuts you still have all the flakes

we(especially those of us from the SF bay area) laugh at everyone else though when they try to describe the "horrible traffic" they have to deal with

[Aotrs Commander]

*nods* I can work with this.
She is um... Not very happy looking though.

Well, to be fair, most people (self included, for given value of "people") aren't too happy when some rotten git throws a bucket of water over 'em for no good reason...


I've actually had to point that out before, but only in the context of centaur characters meeting that one geek who plays a chick to do "hawt things".

Most people tune out when I bring up that hooves are often sharp, and the lady horse can end up cut pretty badly, if superficially.

Ah, the good old dictomy of herbivore on herbivore violence, that the creatures with least natural weapons tend be the most vicious (rabbits, for example)... It always kills me when you these anthropamorphised cartoons with herbivores being all harmonious and the predators are all unintelligent violent monsters that fight amongst themselves... When many predators (e.g. rattlesnakes) tend to have a much more ritualised way of completing, as they usually can't afford the potential damage...



Huh. Didn't know that... Is there any way I could verify that? It would cast a lot of things in a different light.

Life-expectancy is the average value at which half of all births are expected to reach. It is categorically not the same thing as maximum lifespan, which is a common error; as an average value it is heavily skewed by external events (e.g. infantry mortality etc).

Human maximum lifespan has not drastically changed over the centuries. If one could survive past childhood and early adulthood, in fair conditions, one could expect to live to sixty or seventy (or more) plenty far back in history.


And then there's the theory that this, like ALL fantasy settings is post-apocalyptic.

Which, as I have said before on the subject, is a patently ridiculous idea, except for broad definitions of "apocalyspe" which includes "end of a prior civilisation", by which Rome is a post-apocalyptic society because it is post the Etruscans or something...

[SiuiS]

I found a reference to horses having a septum in their nose but it makes little sense to talk about it separating to me. I'm guessing a random choice akin to technobabble.

No, see
He's a stunt flier
He crashed so hard that the shock broke the bajeebus out of the internal bone structure of his sinuses. A deviated septum is an actual issue.


So, I need to give SiuiS all of the hugs. All of them.

http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/fss/7ab953cc4c21409ae35cb0fc00977d41

:smallredface:


Sometimes I think I have too many enemies. My cellphone's address book is standing at about 20 variations of "DO NOT ANSWER" at the moment.

Oh, hey. I just add all those numbers to the one name. TELEMARKETER has like, 30 cell phones, I swear.


hey...i resemble that remark

best way i ever heard CA described is as granola...take out all the fruits and nuts you still have all the flakes

we(especially those of us from the SF bay area) laugh at everyone else though when they try to describe the "horrible traffic" they have to deal with

Always the best description. Until you get to folks like my friend Kyii. He is both fruit, and nut.

Frisco doesn't have traffic. It has a labyrinthine swirl of ONE WAY signs, thousands of abandoned parked cars, and a lot of pedestrians.

-

So thinking abou stuff in my last post made me think about what Orzel, Bobcat and Thanqol dubbed "cladding" - the thought that for ponies, the act of putting on clothes was akin to our human taking off of clothes. Dressed ponies are fine, nude ponies likewise. Ponies taking of clothes, meh, whatever. Ponies putting on clothes... *nosebleed*

And I wondered then about a lot of humorous insinuations and intimations. Now, I want to write (or See somepony else write) a pony bachelor(ette) party. Played straight, if possible.

Proooooobably should take that as a sign that I need more sleep andless staying awake. So... Goodnight, my little ponies!

[Kurgan]

Huh. Didn't know that... Is there any way I could verify that? It would cast a lot of things in a different light.

Well, I could answer, but Aotrs already did. Here is the wiki link for life expectancy at least (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#Interpretation_of_life_expectancy) .



Life-expectancy is the average value at which half of all births are expected to reach. It is categorically not the same thing as maximum lifespan, which is a common error; as an average value it is heavily skewed by external events (e.g. infantry mortality etc).

Human maximum lifespan has not drastically changed over the centuries. If one could survive past childhood and early adulthood, in fair conditions, one could expect to live to sixty or seventy (or more) plenty far back in history.


It is an average, so say you have 10 people. 5 of them die by the age of 1 (we'll call this 0 for ease), and the other five live to 80. Average it out and you get 40. When infant mortality rate, and early deaths of children/men through accident and warfare happens, the average age of death gets lower.


Ach! A [thing] and a Dramatic Town Entering Gypsy-view?! That's dirty pool, mate. How could I compete!?

Yeah, I got a handful of new welcome images and just randomly pick from them nowadays (with the exception of the Double Barreled Scootaloo, which I stole from bobcat fair and square).

[Aotrs Commander]

Tally Ho! (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/ponies-are-british.html)

Jolly good show, what!



(Though some Foreigners really need to learn the distinction between English and British, as "British" covers Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland so the video could have legitimately been any of the aforementioned...)

[Thanqol]

So thinking abou stuff in my last post made me think about what Orzel, Bobcat and Thanqol dubbed "cladding" - the thought that for ponies, the act of putting on clothes was akin to our human taking off of clothes. Dressed ponies are fine, nude ponies likewise. Ponies taking of clothes, meh, whatever. Ponies putting on clothes... *nosebleed*

And I wondered then about a lot of humorous insinuations and intimations. Now, I want to write (or See somepony else write) a pony bachelor(ette) party. Played straight, if possible.

Proooooobably should take that as a sign that I need more sleep andless staying awake. So... Goodnight, my little ponies!

You made this happen.

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle protested, not for the first time this evening.

"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, shoving her firmly towards the nightclub, "You're about to tie the knot with an immortal god-Princess. This is, quite literally, going to be the last night you're ever going to have to yourself."

"Yes, but I'm not sure this is the best way to spend it -" Twilight said, voice raising in speed and volume as the glowing red-violet doors of the clad club loomed above her.

"It's a party. Of course it's the best way to spend it!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, desperately appealing to the farmer pony.

"Don't look at me, Twi'. I'm all for alternatives but thus far the best you've been able to to suggest is Battleshipping. An' that's not how you're spending your last unwedded night." Applejack said.

"But I've got reading to do! Very important reading! About being married!" Twilight protested. She promptly turned red at the thought.

"An' this is your last chance to research not being married. So git in there!" Applejack said, shoving Twilight Sparkle through the door.

Twilight had heard of clad clubs before, certainly, but mostly in the context of historical accounts of scandals where important ponies had been found attending them (and one book about the business demographics of the practise). If she had been forced to articulate her ideas of what went on in a place like this, it would be a bunch of noble unicorns sitting around and wearing monocles, smoking cigars and playing card games, with several pretty waitresses.

There was a bit of a disconnect as she faced the reality.

It was dark. Flashing lights, red and violet, illuminated brief, tantalising glimpses of hats, shirts, and even a tie. As she stared, the spotlight briefly lingered on a pair of ponies on one of the raised pillars. One of them was putting a sock on the other. Twilight stared in shock.

"See? I knew she'd stop struggling once we got her inside," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, grabbing Twilight and dragging her up to the bar. Twilight was still staring blankly at the sheer... everythingness of it. She saw a white unicorn, high above the crowd, illuminated from below by hundreds of electrical lights that made up her control panel. Purple glasses reflected the prismatic strobe lights. As Twilight watched, she grinned, turned to her right, and reached out to tie a pink bow tie around the grey earth pony by her side.

"Hey, Miss D. What can I get you?" said Berry Punch at the bar, tipping her black hat backwards and grinning a familiar smile. There were multiple shining golden bits woven into the brim.

"Ah, y'know. I've got a royal wedding to attend tomorrow and I want to be hung over for it." Rainbow Dash said. "I even brought the victim in question. What've you got for us?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle? Marrying the Lunar Princess?" Berry said, leaning over the counter and pouring a drink from the bottle held in her tail, "Lucky girl! We're gonna put on a special show, just for you."

"A - a special -?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, you bet. It's your lucky night." Berry said, swivelling Twilight's chair to face the stage.

The music dropped. The lights went dark.

"It's time..."

The audience's hoofbeats stilled. The air positively trembled with anticipation.

"To reveal the show stopping power..."

"Oh no," whispered Twilight.

"Of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"

And there were fireworks. And there was magic. And the naked blue unicorn burst onto the stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dramatic lighting.

"Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of grace and dexterity previously unimagined by even the most creative pony minds!" Trixie said. "But first... I need my cape."

The audience started shouting "Put it on!" as Trixie produced her violet, star-studded cape with a swirl of magic. Slowly, she worked the clasp, teal gem sealing the outfit in place. There was cheering. Roses, hats, money, and even underwear were thrown onto the stage.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on her wizard hat along with her robe," said Trixie, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie is tired after her numerous exertions, and requires assistance. And Trixie further understands there is a guest of honour in the audience..."

The treacherous Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a shove, pushing her out into the open where she was transfixed by a spotlight.

The wizard hat was on the ground in front of her.

Trixie was in front of her, smiling like a wolf. "So, what say you, Twilight? You took Trixie's cloak and hat once... won't you give them back?"

Twilight hesitated.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Put the hat on the pony, Twi'," Applejack called, amusement mixed with exasperation, "Be a gentlefilly."

Twilight reached down. She took the hat in her mouth. And slowly, tremblingly, she stepped forwards to put it on Trixie's head.

The audience cheered.

"This is gonna be the best night ever," said Rainbow Dash.

[BlasTech]

Tally Ho! (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/ponies-are-british.html)

Jolly good show, what!



(Though some Foreigners really need to learn the distinction between English and British, as "British" covers Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland so the video could have legitimately been any of the aforementioned...)

Oh dash it all, you pipped me at the post with this one old chap.

I suppose I shall have to make do with announcing the top 10 bronyvids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqEIWRIoII&feature=player_embedded)for this here past month. Jolly good watching eh what?


You made this happen.

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle protested, not for the first time this evening.

"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, shoving her firmly towards the nightclub, "You're about to tie the knot with an immortal god-Princess. This is, quite literally, going to be the last night you're ever going to have to yourself."

"Yes, but I'm not sure this is the best way to spend it -" Twilight said, voice raising in speed and volume as the glowing red-violet doors of the clad club loomed above her.

"It's a party. Of course it's the best way to spend it!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, desperately appealing to the farmer pony.

"Don't look at me, Twi'. I'm all for alternatives but thus far the best you've been able to to suggest is Battleshipping. An' that's not how you're spending your last unwedded night." Applejack said.

"But I've got reading to do! Very important reading! About being married!" Twilight protested. She promptly turned red at the thought.

"An' this is your last chance to research not being married. So git in there!" Applejack said, shoving Twilight Sparkle through the door.

Twilight had heard of clad clubs before, certainly, but mostly in the context of historical accounts of scandals where important ponies had been found attending them (and one book about the business demographics of the practise). If she had been forced to articulate her ideas of what went on in a place like this, it would be a bunch of noble unicorns sitting around and wearing monocles, smoking cigars and playing card games, with several pretty waitresses.

There was a bit of a disconnect as she faced the reality.

It was dark. Flashing lights, red and violet, illuminated brief, tantalising glimpses of hats, shirts, and even a tie. As she stared, the spotlight briefly lingered on a pair of ponies on one of the raised pillars. One of them was putting a sock on the other. Twilight stared in shock.

"See? I knew she'd stop struggling once we got her inside," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, grabbing Twilight and dragging her up to the bar. Twilight was still staring blankly at the sheer... everythingness of it. She saw a white unicorn, high above the crowd, illuminated from below by hundreds of electrical lights that made up her control panel. Purple glasses reflected the prismatic strobe lights. As Twilight watched, she grinned, turned to her right, and reached out to tie a pink bow tie around the grey earth pony by her side.

"Hey, Miss D. What can I get you?" said Berry Punch at the bar, tipping her black hat backwards and grinning a familiar smile. There were multiple shining golden bits woven into the brim.

"Ah, y'know. I've got a royal wedding to attend tomorrow and I want to be hung over for it." Rainbow Dash said. "I even brought the victim in question. What've you got for us?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle? Marrying the Lunar Princess?" Berry said, leaning over the counter and pouring a drink from the bottle held in her tail, "Lucky girl! We're gonna put on a special show, just for you."

"A - a special -?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, you bet. It's your lucky night." Berry said, swivelling Twilight's chair to face the stage.

The music dropped. The lights went dark.

"It's time..."

The audience's hoofbeats stilled. The air positively trembled with anticipation.

"To reveal the show stopping power..."

"Oh no," whispered Twilight.

"Of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"

And there were fireworks. And there was magic. And the naked blue unicorn burst onto the stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dramatic lighting.

"Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of grace and dexterity previously unimagined by even the most creative pony minds!" Trixie said. "But first... I need my cape."

The audience started shouting "Put it on!" as Trixie produced her violet, star-studded cape with a swirl of magic. Slowly, she worked the clasp, teal gem sealing the outfit in place. There was cheering. Roses, hats, money, and even underwear were thrown onto the stage.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on her wizard hat along with her robe," said Trixie, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie is tired after her numerous exertions, and requires assistance. And Trixie further understands there is a guest of honour in the audience..."

The treacherous Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a shove, pushing her out into the open where she was transfixed by a spotlight.

The wizard hat was on the ground in front of her.

Trixie was in front of her, smiling like a wolf. "So, what say you, Twilight? You took Trixie's cloak and hat once... won't you give them back?"

Twilight hesitated.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Put the hat on the pony, Twi'," Applejack called, amusement mixed with exasperation, "Be a gentlefilly."

Twilight reached down. She took the hat in her mouth. And slowly, tremblingly, she stepped forwards to put it on Trixie's head.

The audience cheered.

"This is gonna be the best night ever," said Rainbow Dash.


... Indeed!

I don't think I've laughed so hard in recent memory ... I-I think I sprained something.

[Aotrs Commander]

You made this happen.

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle protested, not for the first time this evening.

"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, shoving her firmly towards the nightclub, "You're about to tie the knot with an immortal god-Princess. This is, quite literally, going to be the last night you're ever going to have to yourself."

"Yes, but I'm not sure this is the best way to spend it -" Twilight said, voice raising in speed and volume as the glowing red-violet doors of the clad club loomed above her.

"It's a party. Of course it's the best way to spend it!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, desperately appealing to the farmer pony.

"Don't look at me, Twi'. I'm all for alternatives but thus far the best you've been able to to suggest is Battleshipping. An' that's not how you're spending your last unwedded night." Applejack said.

"But I've got reading to do! Very important reading! About being married!" Twilight protested. She promptly turned red at the thought.

"An' this is your last chance to research not being married. So git in there!" Applejack said, shoving Twilight Sparkle through the door.

Twilight had heard of clad clubs before, certainly, but mostly in the context of historical accounts of scandals where important ponies had been found attending them (and one book about the business demographics of the practise). If she had been forced to articulate her ideas of what went on in a place like this, it would be a bunch of noble unicorns sitting around and wearing monocles, smoking cigars and playing card games, with several pretty waitresses.

There was a bit of a disconnect as she faced the reality.

It was dark. Flashing lights, red and violet, illuminated brief, tantalising glimpses of hats, shirts, and even a tie. As she stared, the spotlight briefly lingered on a pair of ponies on one of the raised pillars. One of them was putting a sock on the other. Twilight stared in shock.

"See? I knew she'd stop struggling once we got her inside," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, grabbing Twilight and dragging her up to the bar. Twilight was still staring blankly at the sheer... everythingness of it. She saw a white unicorn, high above the crowd, illuminated from below by hundreds of electrical lights. Purple glasses reflected the prismatic strobe lights. As Twilight watched, she grinned, turned to her right, and reached out to tie a pink bow tie around the grey earth pony by her side.

"Hey, Miss D. What can I get you?" said Berry Punch at the bar, tipping her black hat backwards and grinning a familiar smile. There were multiple shining golden bits woven into the brim.

"Ah, y'know. I've got a royal wedding to attend tomorrow and I want to be hung over for it." Rainbow Dash said. "I even brought the victim in question. What've you got for us?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle? Marrying the Lunar Princess?" Berry said, leaning over the counter and pouring a drink from the bottle held in her tail, "Lucky girl! We're gonna put on a special show, just for you."

"A - a special -?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, you bet. It's your lucky night." Berry said, swivelling Twilight's chair to face the stage.

The music dropped. The lights went dark.

"It's time..."

The audience's hoofbeats stilled. The air positively trembled with anticipation.

"To reveal the show stopping power..."

"Oh no," whispered Twilight.

"Of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"

And there were fireworks. And there was magic. And the naked blue unicorn burst onto the stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dramatic lighting.

"Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of grace and dexterity previously unimagined by even the most creative pony minds!" Trixie said. "But first... I need my cape."

The audience started shouting "Put it on!" as Trixie produced her violet, star-studded cape with a swirl of magic. Slowly, she worked the clasp, teal gem sealing the outfit in place. There was cheering. Roses, hats, money, and even underwear were thrown onto the stage.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on her wizard hat along with her robe," said Trixie, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie is tired after her numerous exertions, and requires assistance. And Trixie further understands there is a guest of honour in the audience..."

The treacherous Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a shove, pushing her out into the open where she was transfixed by a spotlight.

The wizard hat was on the ground in front of her.

Trixie was in front of her, smiling like a wolf. "So, what say you, Twilight? You took Trixie's cloak and hat once... won't you give them back?"

Twilight hesitated.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Put the hat on the pony, Twi'," Applejack called, amusement mixed with exasperation, "Be a gentlefilly."

Twilight reached down. She took the hat in her mouth. And slowly, tremblingly, she stepped forwards to put it on Trixie's head.

The audience cheered.

"This is gonna be the best night ever," said Rainbow Dash.


Pfffftahahahaha!

[Gamerlord]

In either case, some of the questions revolving around the founding of Equistria are bound to be answered on Saturday! Just as massive piles of fanon are set ablaze in a mighty conflagration! Questions I hope to see answered...more about Discord's reign of terror, what possibly might have corrupted Luna into Nightmare Moon(I'm in favor of Discord having done it, but I'll probably be happy with whatever is actually decided), and what was before Equistria.

...I'll also point out that, considering there's only two song-free episodes left and new episode on Friday is a holiday episode, I think we're pretty much guaranteed a song! Possibly quite a few of them actually! C'mon Danial Ingrams, finally give me Rarity and Sweetie Belle singing a duet!
I'm not sure that many, if any, questions will be answered Sunday, since all evidence points to the app released a while ago called "Teacher For A Day" having been based on the script of this episode, and that didn't give us much. Plus, it isn't an hour long special or two parter so I doubt they will have much time to explain the past. Maybe they will surprise us though.

[Gaelbert]

I'd like logs, or to be there when/if this conversation goes down. It sounds marvelous.

I guess I should shoot Thanqol that PM.
Thanqol, would you mind having that discussion over a different channel (say, PM or email or something)? I do really want to discuss it.


And now we are at the point where I need to stop or it's against board rules. So I guess I'll hash it out next time I'm on IRC. So long as we're still friends after :smallsmile:

I know there are some folks on the IRC who don't like politics, oh well. Maybe afterdark or a private channel or something.



Sidenote: California people are weird. I never understood the concept of always changing your number. Think someone is gonna harass you? Don't give out the number in the first place!

HAI THERE


I want Rarity's cupcake so bad. O_O

So do I. Har har har.



So, yeah, I'm not saying that I'd expect to see granny smith pushing her second millenia or something, but given that the Allicorns can apparently expect to live to that kind of age, It really just doesn't jive with me at all, on any level, that we should expect the other ponies to have real-world-horse-based anything, let alone lifespans. I figure they default to human lifespans, with possibly slightly different rates of physical and/or mental maturation as nebulously suggested by Faust.

But then I also am not sold on the idea of Celestia and Luna being Gods, genuinely Godlike, or personifications of cosmic principles, which seem to be some of the most popular theories. I like to consider them much more simply at the level of Pony+. Powerful and potentially long lived, but still legitimately outmatched against, say, Discord without working together in at least a pair with the aid of powerful macguffins.


But then why would Rarity use a phrase like "With Celestia as my witness"? That only makes sense if Celestia is a godpony type character. They (she and Luna) wouldn't necessarily have to be omniscient or omnipotent, but if they're raising the sun and moon, clearly they're working on a level most of us would call divine. Something more akin to the gods of Greek and Roman mythology sounds quite reasonable to me.


hey...i resemble that remark

best way i ever heard CA described is as granola...take out all the fruits and nuts you still have all the flakes

we(especially those of us from the SF bay area) laugh at everyone else though when they try to describe the "horrible traffic" they have to deal with

Hey! Another Bay Area brony? Meetup!



C'mon Danial Ingrams, finally give me Rarity and Sweetie Belle singing a duet!

I would watch the razzum frazzum out of that.



Proooooobably should take that as a sign that I need more sleep andless staying awake. So... Goodnight, my little ponies!

Disregard sleep, acquire ponies!
It's what I'm doing. 4 AM here and not even tired. :smallsigh:

[Thanqol]

I guess I should shoot Thanqol that PM.
Thanqol, would you mind having that discussion over a different channel (say, PM or email or something)? I do really want to discuss it.

Go for it, my contact detail array should be in my profile. I'd prefer emails TBH so I don't have to keep emptying my PM box. My MSN email is the one I use regularly.

[Gamerlord]

But then why would Rarity use a phrase like "With Celestia as my witness"? That only makes sense if Celestia is a godpony type character. They (she and Luna) wouldn't necessarily have to be omniscient or omnipotent, but if they're raising the sun and moon, clearly they're working on a level most of us would call divine. Something more akin to the gods of Greek and Roman mythology sounds quite reasonable to me.

The ponies believing her to be a deity doesn't automatically mean she is one, as far as we know the show does not operate the rules of "Gods' need Prayer Badly".

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Tally Ho! (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/ponies-are-british.html)

Jolly good show, what!


Absolutely corking!


You made this happen.

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle protested, not for the first time this evening.

"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, shoving her firmly towards the nightclub, "You're about to tie the knot with an immortal god-Princess. This is, quite literally, going to be the last night you're ever going to have to yourself."

"Yes, but I'm not sure this is the best way to spend it -" Twilight said, voice raising in speed and volume as the glowing red-violet doors of the clad club loomed above her.

"It's a party. Of course it's the best way to spend it!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, desperately appealing to the farmer pony.

"Don't look at me, Twi'. I'm all for alternatives but thus far the best you've been able to to suggest is Battleshipping. An' that's not how you're spending your last unwedded night." Applejack said.

"But I've got reading to do! Very important reading! About being married!" Twilight protested. She promptly turned red at the thought.

"An' this is your last chance to research not being married. So git in there!" Applejack said, shoving Twilight Sparkle through the door.

Twilight had heard of clad clubs before, certainly, but mostly in the context of historical accounts of scandals where important ponies had been found attending them (and one book about the business demographics of the practise). If she had been forced to articulate her ideas of what went on in a place like this, it would be a bunch of noble unicorns sitting around and wearing monocles, smoking cigars and playing card games, with several pretty waitresses.

There was a bit of a disconnect as she faced the reality.

It was dark. Flashing lights, red and violet, illuminated brief, tantalising glimpses of hats, shirts, and even a tie. As she stared, the spotlight briefly lingered on a pair of ponies on one of the raised pillars. One of them was putting a sock on the other. Twilight stared in shock.

"See? I knew she'd stop struggling once we got her inside," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, grabbing Twilight and dragging her up to the bar. Twilight was still staring blankly at the sheer... everythingness of it. She saw a white unicorn, high above the crowd, illuminated from below by hundreds of electrical lights that made up her control panel. Purple glasses reflected the prismatic strobe lights. As Twilight watched, she grinned, turned to her right, and reached out to tie a pink bow tie around the grey earth pony by her side.

"Hey, Miss D. What can I get you?" said Berry Punch at the bar, tipping her black hat backwards and grinning a familiar smile. There were multiple shining golden bits woven into the brim.

"Ah, y'know. I've got a royal wedding to attend tomorrow and I want to be hung over for it." Rainbow Dash said. "I even brought the victim in question. What've you got for us?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle? Marrying the Lunar Princess?" Berry said, leaning over the counter and pouring a drink from the bottle held in her tail, "Lucky girl! We're gonna put on a special show, just for you."

"A - a special -?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, you bet. It's your lucky night." Berry said, swivelling Twilight's chair to face the stage.

The music dropped. The lights went dark.

"It's time..."

The audience's hoofbeats stilled. The air positively trembled with anticipation.

"To reveal the show stopping power..."

"Oh no," whispered Twilight.

"Of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"

And there were fireworks. And there was magic. And the naked blue unicorn burst onto the stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dramatic lighting.

"Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of grace and dexterity previously unimagined by even the most creative pony minds!" Trixie said. "But first... I need my cape."

The audience started shouting "Put it on!" as Trixie produced her violet, star-studded cape with a swirl of magic. Slowly, she worked the clasp, teal gem sealing the outfit in place. There was cheering. Roses, hats, money, and even underwear were thrown onto the stage.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on her wizard hat along with her robe," said Trixie, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie is tired after her numerous exertions, and requires assistance. And Trixie further understands there is a guest of honour in the audience..."

The treacherous Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a shove, pushing her out into the open where she was transfixed by a spotlight.

The wizard hat was on the ground in front of her.

Trixie was in front of her, smiling like a wolf. "So, what say you, Twilight? You took Trixie's cloak and hat once... won't you give them back?"

Twilight hesitated.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Put the hat on the pony, Twi'," Applejack called, amusement mixed with exasperation, "Be a gentlefilly."

Twilight reached down. She took the hat in her mouth. And slowly, tremblingly, she stepped forwards to put it on Trixie's head.

The audience cheered.

"This is gonna be the best night ever," said Rainbow Dash.



Aheheheheeheeheeheheheahahahahhahhhh.

Oh that was simply too good.




I want Rarity's cupcake so bad. O_O


Riiight. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bve03JGUaNM&feature=plcp&context=C2bb87UDOEgsToPDskIxnEUxIBKX7XIvPAx95PwA)

[Gaelbert]

Go for it, my contact detail array should be in my profile. I'd prefer emails TBH so I don't have to keep emptying my PM box. My MSN email is the one I use regularly.

Okay, I started working on the email. It should be done... whenever I get done with it. It'll be from a "galedaze" or something similar.



I'd like logs, or to be there when/if this conversation goes down. It sounds marvelous.

I'd be fine with sending the logs of my conversation if Thanqol is fine with it. Although I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to see me demolished in a few paragraphs.


The ponies believing her to be a deity doesn't automatically mean she is one, as far as we know the show does not operate the rules of "Gods' need Prayer Badly".

But it raises the question: Why would they consider her a deity? They clearly have more information than us, and we've no indication that Celestia actively spread a misinformation campaign to convince the populace she was a god. My guess is that the closest Earth has to Celestia's position is something like the god-kings of old.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Tally Ho! (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/ponies-are-british.html)

Jolly good show, what!



(Though some Foreigners really need to learn the distinction between English and British, as "British" covers Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland so the video could have legitimately been any of the aforementioned...)
Quoted for future viewing.


You made this happen.

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle protested, not for the first time this evening.

"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, shoving her firmly towards the nightclub, "You're about to tie the knot with an immortal god-Princess. This is, quite literally, going to be the last night you're ever going to have to yourself."

"Yes, but I'm not sure this is the best way to spend it -" Twilight said, voice raising in speed and volume as the glowing red-violet doors of the clad club loomed above her.

"It's a party. Of course it's the best way to spend it!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, desperately appealing to the farmer pony.

"Don't look at me, Twi'. I'm all for alternatives but thus far the best you've been able to to suggest is Battleshipping. An' that's not how you're spending your last unwedded night." Applejack said.

"But I've got reading to do! Very important reading! About being married!" Twilight protested. She promptly turned red at the thought.

"An' this is your last chance to research not being married. So git in there!" Applejack said, shoving Twilight Sparkle through the door.

Twilight had heard of clad clubs before, certainly, but mostly in the context of historical accounts of scandals where important ponies had been found attending them (and one book about the business demographics of the practise). If she had been forced to articulate her ideas of what went on in a place like this, it would be a bunch of noble unicorns sitting around and wearing monocles, smoking cigars and playing card games, with several pretty waitresses.

There was a bit of a disconnect as she faced the reality.

It was dark. Flashing lights, red and violet, illuminated brief, tantalising glimpses of hats, shirts, and even a tie. As she stared, the spotlight briefly lingered on a pair of ponies on one of the raised pillars. One of them was putting a sock on the other. Twilight stared in shock.

"See? I knew she'd stop struggling once we got her inside," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, grabbing Twilight and dragging her up to the bar. Twilight was still staring blankly at the sheer... everythingness of it. She saw a white unicorn, high above the crowd, illuminated from below by hundreds of electrical lights that made up her control panel. Purple glasses reflected the prismatic strobe lights. As Twilight watched, she grinned, turned to her right, and reached out to tie a pink bow tie around the grey earth pony by her side.

"Hey, Miss D. What can I get you?" said Berry Punch at the bar, tipping her black hat backwards and grinning a familiar smile. There were multiple shining golden bits woven into the brim.

"Ah, y'know. I've got a royal wedding to attend tomorrow and I want to be hung over for it." Rainbow Dash said. "I even brought the victim in question. What've you got for us?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle? Marrying the Lunar Princess?" Berry said, leaning over the counter and pouring a drink from the bottle held in her tail, "Lucky girl! We're gonna put on a special show, just for you."

"A - a special -?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, you bet. It's your lucky night." Berry said, swivelling Twilight's chair to face the stage.

The music dropped. The lights went dark.

"It's time..."

The audience's hoofbeats stilled. The air positively trembled with anticipation.

"To reveal the show stopping power..."

"Oh no," whispered Twilight.

"Of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"

And there were fireworks. And there was magic. And the naked blue unicorn burst onto the stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dramatic lighting.

"Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of grace and dexterity previously unimagined by even the most creative pony minds!" Trixie said. "But first... I need my cape."

The audience started shouting "Put it on!" as Trixie produced her violet, star-studded cape with a swirl of magic. Slowly, she worked the clasp, teal gem sealing the outfit in place. There was cheering. Roses, hats, money, and even underwear were thrown onto the stage.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on her wizard hat along with her robe," said Trixie, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie is tired after her numerous exertions, and requires assistance. And Trixie further understands there is a guest of honour in the audience..."

The treacherous Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a shove, pushing her out into the open where she was transfixed by a spotlight.

The wizard hat was on the ground in front of her.

Trixie was in front of her, smiling like a wolf. "So, what say you, Twilight? You took Trixie's cloak and hat once... won't you give them back?"

Twilight hesitated.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Put the hat on the pony, Twi'," Applejack called, amusement mixed with exasperation, "Be a gentlefilly."

Twilight reached down. She took the hat in her mouth. And slowly, tremblingly, she stepped forwards to put it on Trixie's head.

The audience cheered.

"This is gonna be the best night ever," said Rainbow Dash.


Little disappointed. I was hoping for a big sign somewhere saying "Pony wears the saddle!" but other than that, excellent!

[Newman]

Tally Ho! (http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/ponies-are-british.html)

Jolly good show, what!



(Though some Foreigners really need to learn the distinction between English and British, as "British" covers Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland so the video could have legitimately been any of the aforementioned...)

.... Cliché 1 (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StockBritishPhrases), Cliché 2 (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/QuintessentialBritishGentleman)

I'm not entirely sure this material is safe for work, so, if it's against the rules, just tell me and I'll eidt it away.



"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BloodNinja) her wizard hat along with her robe" (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/robe-and-wizard-hat)

I don't think there's much sense in ponies stripping or dressing up being... naughty. Anyone seen Glee recently?

If I didn't have a bias against going to the USA at all I'd love to emigrate to the city of Emperor Norton. I knew of him from before, but the story he starred in Sandman allowed him to make it into my monkeysphereheart

[Deadly]

Nopony at all agrees with me on pony ages? I feel so alone...http://i.imgur.com/jNLDQ.png

Anyway, on the issue of Celestia and Luna and the founding of Equestria...

I've mentioned before that if they're going to reveal the origin of the royal sisters, I think it's most likely going to be something about them being regular ponies (or horses) once, and after defeating Discord they needed to impose some order on the chaos so they took on the task of raising the sun and moon respectively. My only consolation is that this seems almost too obvious so maybe they'll do anything but that.

While I'd love it to become canon, I also doubt they're going to make them god-like spiritual manifestations of the sun and moon. That's my personal fanon, but I very much doubt it'll be canon, which is why I actually kinda fear the next episode. I know I'll be sitting in front of my screen on saturday, stiff like a board and with heart racing like mad, eyes glued to the screen and hands clenched. If I don't post after the episode has aired, I've probably had a heart attack. Seriously.

So anyway, given the huge likelihood of the first option, which I don't like, and the very low likelihood of my prefered outcome... I'm going to hope for something in between, and here's what that is:

Celestia and Luna are something like Gandalf and the other wizards of his Order. Gandalf was pretty much something like an angel, an immortal divine being sent to Middle Earth. I'm not a Tolkien scholar and don't remember the exact details, but it was something to that effect.

While not my prefered explanation, I think I could at least live with it, unlike "They were once regular ponies" which I'd probably find sad and difficult to accept.

Or I can hope that Gamerlord is right and not much will be explained. That was my original hope, in fact. But then again, some more canon would be nice... I'm so conflicted http://i.imgur.com/DrMmg.png

[Newman]

Hm. Perhaps they're setting up the main cast to be ascended to godhood...／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk4zm2i42A1qa8kd9o1_500.jpghttp://thecartdriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Godoka.jpghttp://i53.tinypic.com/mw8k75.jpghttp://img1.lln.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/6cba1890e9ea37046f18e4ddda1fc3101304933283_full.jp g

[Deadly]

Hm. Perhaps they're setting up the main cast to be ascended to godhood...／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk4zm2i42A1qa8kd9o1_500.jpghttp://thecartdriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Godoka.jpghttp://i53.tinypic.com/mw8k75.jpghttp://img1.lln.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/6cba1890e9ea37046f18e4ddda1fc3101304933283_full.jp g

http://i.imgur.com/59s2M.png NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Tectonic Robot]

Sooooooooo...

Any, uh, cool new fanfiction going down? Er, or cool video or anything?

*Is trying desperately to be an active member of the thread*

[Newman]

I know, right?

Come on, folks, who else here saw this show?

[Gaelbert]

Celestia and Luna are something like Gandalf and the other wizards of his Order. Gandalf was pretty much something like an angel, an immortal divine being sent to Middle Earth. I'm not a Tolkien scholar and don't remember the exact details, but it was something to that effect.

Gandalf was something of a (spiritually) immortal messenger and agent, sent by the angels that ruled (and lived on) Middle Earth.
So more or less, same general thing. Although Gandalf got all of his powers from elsewhere, and that's something I don't see in Celestia or Luna.

[Titanium Fox]

Septum? Dang near killed 'em!

You know now, whenever I see Septum, I think Imperial Septim, and by proxy Skyrim?

Also: I used to be one of the most prolific posters in ponythread. But then I took an arrow to the knee. :smallbiggrin:


Celestia is probably an exception. I could see ponies having elf-like lifespans, or maybe half-elf. But that's not verifiable like, at all.

Sadly, the actual canon answer is "does it matter?"

You know, it really doesn't, and really shouldn't. But we're bronies, damn it, and we're all completely insane!


Before I start on these I should deal with my backlog, which consists mostly of Wet Mane Midnight.

I'm a man of my worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/964/day208ek.jpg

Jade: o///o

...Get over here Midnight. >>


Aaaahhh. It all clicks now. Cool.

I would totally do something like that if I had a computer, and haven't had the same phone number since I was able to get my own phone...

Sidenote: California people are weird. I never understood the concept of always changing your number. Think someone is gonna harass you? Don't give out the number in the first place!

I guess it's because I cut my teeth on a land line.

I've had my 860 number since I was 14. Google voice is specifically for international to Canada, because **** AT&T.


I actually have no idea what the rest of that saying is. Enlighten me?

It's something along the lines of if children ruled the world we'd live in a utopia or something. It's a statement about how idealism doesn't work in isolated incidents, but if everyone was idealistic and naive...


True, but I don't think the economics extend that far. Why would they?

Let's say that we are talking about the rebuilding of Ponyville. Why pay for that directly, when you can just supply actual man-hours ? We have several ponies whose cutie marks are in carpentry. I'm sure they would love a chance to both practice their favoritest hobby EVER, as well as the joy of helping their fellow ponies.

But where do supplies come from? Well, the foreman pony, whose cutie mark involves organizing pony labor, finally gets a chance to shine, and engages an unofficial press-gang of volunteers. But why would they volunteer? Because carpenter pony helped with their houses, and is probably helping with their houses right now. And besides! There's a party for everypony who helps, and who would miss out on a Pinkie Pie Party!?

But where do the party foodstuffs come from? Why, they're communal, aren't they? After all, AJ led an entire third of the town into a farming chain to feed the place, while another third specifically cleared the weather for just such an activity. What's wrong with trusting somepony else to take care of the cooking and prep for you? I mean, you're doing chef pony and resteraunteer pony a favor by letting them engage themselves, of course they'll help feed you for your efforts.

Equestria is like a public school in America. You're provided (and provide) everything, and on the side there is that school bucks program where you can earn points (bits) and Buy frivolities (like hips or replacing extraneous barns or buying fancy but unnecessary dresses ;)), but that has nothing to do with the necessities being given to you.

There is a supposed social dichotomy between freedom and harmony. Harmony requires suborning freedom to the Greater Good, and Freedom requires admitting that others have the right to disrupt harmony. Equestria benefits from not having the human element; ponies have ultimate freedom and ultimate harmony, because they are both so absolute that they don't conflict at all. A pony is a cog in the greater machine, and when it runs smoothly it is utterly harmonious. Butthe mahine won't fall apart without that one pony; there is no overwhelming pressure for that pony to perform to "expectations", to suborn the Self for the Other or for Society. That pony could decide to take to the road and live a hermits life and everypony else would be ok with that.

Ponyville, Equestria, presents itself as everything I wish society could be, really. That's a big part of the setting's draw for me. Except under the most specialized and narrow examination, it works.

What you're describing here is a socialist economy on the communist side, and I really don't see it that way. We know that there are other nations out there (the Griffons have to come from somewhere), and there needs to be some sort of trade. This can't happen without a stable economy, where they money flows and flows well. We've also seen that ponies pay bits for Applejack's apples, which implies that even though they are a necessity they aren't given out for the common good like that. This can't work without some sort of capitalistic system in place.

I really view it that Equestria has a massive government that has a hand in everything, but the ponies that run it are so kind and true that there is no corruption or greed flowing. Money is distributed where it needs to and when in a careful economic dance, and ponies are supported most likely by Canterlot Paid health care, welfare, etc. Heck, it's possible some ponies who do services to all of Equestria (EX: Farmers) get a stipend from the royal treasury in order to support the farm itself.

Even in such an insanely idealistic society, we have seen that evil still exists. And if any evil exists, anywhere within the world, then something as heavily communist as you describe can't exist. One griffon moves in, exploits the system, and then another. Then another. Oh look, here comes a Diamond Dog. Eventually the system will collapse.


Ohho?

Faithful Song and Ponsoon may wish to have words with you.



I like how we are both concerned with an almost overdeity's emotional stability XD

But Faithful is best overdiety!


I think IRC just diminished our crest while leaving the trough unabated.

More to the point...

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

I haven't done this in a while... DOITFILLY


I want Rarity's cupcake so bad. O_O

...I'm just gonna tell you to read this again.


Her official(?) name is Princess Cadence.

*draws a window on the wall with chalk, and dives through it into chalkzone*

It was a play on the royal wedding. Britain Royalty is Bronies. I DON'T CARE. I DECLARE IT.


Fluttershoop and Rainbow Splash!
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/346/7/b/more_sea_ponies_by_kp_shadowsquirrel-d4ixbcb.jpg

These are the best sea ponies. Look at that Fluttershy she is adorable! I really think Fluttershy could have worked as a sea pony if they had been included in FIM.


Sometimes I think I have too many enemies. My cellphone's address book is standing at about 20 variations of "DO NOT ANSWER" at the moment.

I just remember the numbers. "Angel? Don't answer."


Well, to be fair, most people (self included, for given value of "people") aren't too happy when some rotten git throws a bucket of water over 'em for no good reason...

You know it was probably Jade that did it, right? And you know she's probably over in the corner pointing and laughing her flank off.


You made this happen.

"No, really, I'm fine," Twilight Sparkle protested, not for the first time this evening.

"Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, shoving her firmly towards the nightclub, "You're about to tie the knot with an immortal god-Princess. This is, quite literally, going to be the last night you're ever going to have to yourself."

"Yes, but I'm not sure this is the best way to spend it -" Twilight said, voice raising in speed and volume as the glowing red-violet doors of the clad club loomed above her.

"It's a party. Of course it's the best way to spend it!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, desperately appealing to the farmer pony.

"Don't look at me, Twi'. I'm all for alternatives but thus far the best you've been able to to suggest is Battleshipping. An' that's not how you're spending your last unwedded night." Applejack said.

"But I've got reading to do! Very important reading! About being married!" Twilight protested. She promptly turned red at the thought.

"An' this is your last chance to research not being married. So git in there!" Applejack said, shoving Twilight Sparkle through the door.

Twilight had heard of clad clubs before, certainly, but mostly in the context of historical accounts of scandals where important ponies had been found attending them (and one book about the business demographics of the practise). If she had been forced to articulate her ideas of what went on in a place like this, it would be a bunch of noble unicorns sitting around and wearing monocles, smoking cigars and playing card games, with several pretty waitresses.

There was a bit of a disconnect as she faced the reality.

It was dark. Flashing lights, red and violet, illuminated brief, tantalising glimpses of hats, shirts, and even a tie. As she stared, the spotlight briefly lingered on a pair of ponies on one of the raised pillars. One of them was putting a sock on the other. Twilight stared in shock.

"See? I knew she'd stop struggling once we got her inside," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, grabbing Twilight and dragging her up to the bar. Twilight was still staring blankly at the sheer... everythingness of it. She saw a white unicorn, high above the crowd, illuminated from below by hundreds of electrical lights that made up her control panel. Purple glasses reflected the prismatic strobe lights. As Twilight watched, she grinned, turned to her right, and reached out to tie a pink bow tie around the grey earth pony by her side.

"Hey, Miss D. What can I get you?" said Berry Punch at the bar, tipping her black hat backwards and grinning a familiar smile. There were multiple shining golden bits woven into the brim.

"Ah, y'know. I've got a royal wedding to attend tomorrow and I want to be hung over for it." Rainbow Dash said. "I even brought the victim in question. What've you got for us?"

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle? Marrying the Lunar Princess?" Berry said, leaning over the counter and pouring a drink from the bottle held in her tail, "Lucky girl! We're gonna put on a special show, just for you."

"A - a special -?" Twilight stammered.

"Oh, you bet. It's your lucky night." Berry said, swivelling Twilight's chair to face the stage.

The music dropped. The lights went dark.

"It's time..."

The audience's hoofbeats stilled. The air positively trembled with anticipation.

"To reveal the show stopping power..."

"Oh no," whispered Twilight.

"Of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!"

And there were fireworks. And there was magic. And the naked blue unicorn burst onto the stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dramatic lighting.

"Watch in AWE as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of grace and dexterity previously unimagined by even the most creative pony minds!" Trixie said. "But first... I need my cape."

The audience started shouting "Put it on!" as Trixie produced her violet, star-studded cape with a swirl of magic. Slowly, she worked the clasp, teal gem sealing the outfit in place. There was cheering. Roses, hats, money, and even underwear were thrown onto the stage.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie normally puts on her wizard hat along with her robe," said Trixie, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie is tired after her numerous exertions, and requires assistance. And Trixie further understands there is a guest of honour in the audience..."

The treacherous Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a shove, pushing her out into the open where she was transfixed by a spotlight.

The wizard hat was on the ground in front of her.

Trixie was in front of her, smiling like a wolf. "So, what say you, Twilight? You took Trixie's cloak and hat once... won't you give them back?"

Twilight hesitated.

"You can do it, Twilight!" Shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Put the hat on the pony, Twi'," Applejack called, amusement mixed with exasperation, "Be a gentlefilly."

Twilight reached down. She took the hat in her mouth. And slowly, tremblingly, she stepped forwards to put it on Trixie's head.

The audience cheered.

"This is gonna be the best night ever," said Rainbow Dash.


...

I literally have no response but laughter. Words do not... Can not... Ow. XD


So do I. Har har har.

Hurrrrrr


If I didn't have a bias against going to the USA at all I'd love to emigrate to the city of Emperor Norton. I knew of him from before, but the story he starred in Sandman allowed him to make it into my monkeysphereheart

Hey, whatchu got 'gainst the USA? 'MURICA! If you can't tell, I'm satirizing my own people. We are as a whole idiots over this side of the pond, don't worry.

[Deadly]

Gandalf was something of a (spiritually) immortal messenger and agent, sent by the angels that ruled (and lived on) Middle Earth.
So more or less, same general thing. Although Gandalf got all of his powers from elsewhere, and that's something I don't see in Celestia or Luna.

Yeah, the comparison isn't perfect. I doubt Celestia and Luna were sent. They way I see it, they came of their own will when they saw how miserable life was under Discord. I just figure if they're unlikely to be god-like beings, then at least they can be immortal, celestial agents of some kind.

[Tectonic Robot]

So, whats going on with you guys?
Oh, just hanging around.
Likewise
...
...Pretty boring, eh?
Yep.
Yeah.
Quite.
...Anything you guys want to do in particular, or...?
I mostly just wait for things to happen.
Er, yeah.
Well, why don't we all do something then? It'd be fun!
Like what?
... *Raggedy slumps.* Nevermind.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm lamenting the loss of main ponythread roleplays.

[Titanium Fox]

Esper, SiuiS, Braz? I love you guys.

WARNING: Sad Picture (1st One)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEq04KF66ac/TuZ9UUBYh4I/AAAAAAAAXqI/YPlN2bdA3Ds/s1600/how_the_rain_is_made___by_kiyoshiii-d4e1gpf.png
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UHpzfJvk7Gc/TuaQ2DhL7iI/AAAAAAAAXts/iPAcMuiw95o/s1600/1.png

Thank you all for being there for me last night when I needed it most.

[tonberrian]

I say, chaps, click this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOi3StWmG7A).

[Raz_Fox]

Hm. That depends - bow or long?
The tie, I mean.

Only the Doctor can pull off a dapper bow tie. The Fox has to settle for a nice long tie.


Aye, he's good at that.
*seethes*

"Hey, SiuiS! Want to see if we can get our artistic jealousy cutie marks?"


Sure Thi- wait, Raggedy?
Hm. No clue what he looks like.

And Razette would just end up being an anthrofox, and I have NO IDEA if I could draw that. You kind of need coloring skills to draw a good fox, aye?

Raggedy, pre-love? He's the epitome of that beggar you see on the way to work, hasn't washed himself in weeks, has a smell that is more commonly associated with skunks and garbage heaps, might be some color under all the dirt, probably wears a tattered hat that might have had a shape at some point before it got thrown away.

And then he started his slow love-powered transformation into Blueblood, discovering that he was actually dark gold under the accumulated years' worth of dirt, realizing that slouching and scraping took away from his actual height, and generally coming to actually look like an earnest member of Ponyville.


I want Rarity's cupcake so bad. O_O

SiuiS! What would Braz say?!?


Fluttershoop and Rainbow Splash!
http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/346/7/b/more_sea_ponies_by_kp_shadowsquirrel-d4ixbcb.jpg

Niiiiiiiice.



I require a picture of a female fox hugging a hobo-pony.

It's, um, for a story. Yeah. That's the bunny.



RAZETTE WOULD LIKE A WORD, RAGGEDY.
...ok, that would be an awesome picture, but you gotta describe it more! And maybe two ships then...

You're right. There have been so many hugs, we need to choose just one. I'd suggest a picture of Raggedy proposing, but he was wearing a harem outfit made for Ragette at the time...

Y'know what? We need that picture anyway.


It's okay. We can't all be internet celebrities.

Gee. Thanks. I'll treasure that always.