My Little Pony VI: MUFFINS!

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Episode thoughts:

Spoiler

Show

Good one. As usual the plot was visible from miles away, and as usual it didn't matter because who cares what the plot is. What mattered is how the plot happens.

Rarity was excellent in this one, and Fluttershy's breakdown was so great, so great.

Best part? Trollestia is so totally canon now.

Vague ordering of the mane cast, as of the end of Season 1, from most favourite to slightly-less favourite:

Rarity
Applejack
Pinkie Pie
Fluttershy
Rainbow Dash
Twighlight Sparkle

[Gamerlord]

Spoiler

Show

Oh my Celestia what is tha- KABEWM!

EDIT: Blargh, cursed ninjas make my post make no sense.

Also:

Unless we changed the calender system, December isn't fall.

[SaintRidley]

I was going to post something here. I've since decided it would just be a bad idea.

Suffice to say I will never understand certain ponies. Their ways of thinking are about as alien as Pinkie Pie's thought process is to mortal ponies.

Instead I'll just post this.

Spoiler

Show

Sorry.

[darthbobcat]

I was going to post something here. I've since decided it would just be a bad idea.

Suffice to say I will never understand certain ponies. Their ways of thinking are about as alien as Pinkie Pie's thought process is to mortal ponies.

Instead I'll just post this.

Spoiler

Show

Spoiler that, please.

@ SaintRidley: No problem.

Also, since all of the cool kids are doing it, here's my End of Season main cast rankings.

1. Pinkie Pie
2. Fluttershy
3. Rainbow Dash
4. Rarity
5. Applejack
6. Twilight Sparkle

Cutie Mark Crusader Rankings

1. Scootaloo
2. Apple Bloom
3. Sweetie Belle

Top 3 Minor Characters with Speaking Lines

1. Celestia
2. Big Macintosh
3. Braeburn

Also, SPOILERS

Spoiler

Show

[Mr. McGician]

Vague ordering of the mane cast

Pun intended?

[PhantomFox]

*sigh* You're right. That isn't the pony way, is it?

[Anarion]

Final Episode Thoughts

Spoiler

Show

The finale wasn't amazing, but it was very good. I'd say it makes it into the upper 50% of all episodes shown thus far. However, I think it's moral was the perfect choice to use for a finale. In a show called "Friendship is Magic," I can't think of a better lesson than teaching kids that the best times are those you spend being with your friends. I hope people take that one to heart.

As many have noted the plot was fairly predictable, probably from the title alone, but definitely from the moment that everyone ignored Spike's suggestion that they spend time with each other. On the other hand, the fact that the overall plot was predictable really doesn't take away from the episode at all, as the whole point was to focus on each pony's particular vision and how it would go wrong. I also think that the writers showed that they have a really good grasp on the characters at this point, as each failure seemed well-suited to that pony's personality.

My thoughts on each one, in no particular order

Twilight: Interestingly, even though she was as miserable as everyone else, Twilight played the part of the good pupil and stood by Celestia the whole time. If not for the chaos caused by the others, she probably would have just endured the whole night. I think this really shows how she needs her friends to get her to act, as she has a tendency to avoid taking the initiative. As I've noted before, I'm a really big fan of magic in the series, so I really liked Twilight's new spell in the beginning. I wonder if it's called the fairy godmother spell?

Rainbow Dash: She tried too hard and bit off more than she could chew (wasn't that supposed to be Applejack's lesson?). This is pretty typical of Rainbow, since she's quite proud. I loved her managing to knock down the columns in a perfect circle though, it was a great scene.

Pinkie Pie: This episode coming hot off the heels of "Party of One" made me really feel for Pinkie. Granted, she doesn't go insane in this one, but her increasingly desperate efforts to liven up the gala definitely stem from the same emotional base as her insanity did. Also, I laughed at the scene where she straightens her hair and it immediately poofs up again.

Rarity: Imo, Rarity got the best set of scenes for the episode. First off, she got to see that her fantasy wasn't about looks but about personality and chivalry. Second, perhaps in an unintentional callback to the sleepover with Applejack, she got to show that she isn't quite so averse to being dirty and got the catharsis of throwing it in Prince Blueblood's face. I also imagine that when Celestia finds out about that part later, she'll find it completely hysterical. The breaking of the glass slipper near the end was also the funniest scene in the episode for me. I consistently like that the writers make these shout outs to the classics.

Applejack: I had no idea that apples were considered low class before this episode. Sure, people ate them all the time, but that could just as easily mean that apples are one of the most popular foods as that they're a low class item. It's also weird that Applejack didn't know that, but I guess they wanted to show how she doesn't understand fancy etiquette. On the other hand, even Rarity didn't think the apple foods were a problem when she was with Blueblood, so...yeah I don't get it. I also was hoping Applejack would spend at least a little time enjoying the party and not just making money the entire evening. Maybe she was hoping to sell out her stock, then join the others?

Fluttershy: Well, she takes back the mantle of most frightening character from Pinkie Pie. The moral here is that Fluttershy will take pretty much any abuse, but if you do manage to push her too far it would be wise to start running away very fast. I'm a little confused why she didn't just ask the gardener (or even Celestia) why all the animals were running away though. Couldn't she have ducked inside for a minute, said hi to Twilight, and asked Celestia about it as part of the receiving line?

My pony ranking
1. Twilight Sparkle
2. Rainbow Dash
3. Rarity
4. Fluttershy
5. Applejack
6. Pinkie Pie

Explanation (no episode spoilers)

Spoiler

Show

I just really like magic. It made me a bit sad that Twilight never got to teleport again after episode 4, but she's used all sorts of cool spells and that makes me really like watching her character. Also, Twilight in her good moments (which is either as a rational problem solver or when she lets her control slip and actually has fun) seems like the most capable character to me and is really enjoyable to watch.

Rainbow and Rarity are nearly a tie for me. Rainbow gets the nod for doing a sonic rainboom twice, but really I just find Rainbow pretty cool and Rarity extremely funny. Rarity in particular gets many of the best lines, and she would rank higher except I don't think her character really got good until "Art of the Dress" whereas I liked Twilight and Rainbow from the start.

Fluttershy ranks in the middle for no other reason than that she didn't stand out for me as much as some of the others.

Applejack is okay I guess, but her attitude is just very different from mine. I'm one of those people who always likes to think things through and try to come up with creative solutions for things, plus I have a terrible work ethic (insofar as one can have a bad work ethic and not flunk out of law school). So Applejack just doesn't appeal to me, personally, although I can see why others might like her, as she does get some amusing lines and is the character most likely to actually get something done when you need it.

Pinkie Pie: Okay confession time. About 90% of Pinkie's antics annoy, rather than amuse me. Please don't burn me at the stake. Yes, a few times she's been honestly amusing, with her Trombone into ending sequence being the best. I also like her No Fear song in the pilot. But mostly I watch her antics and just endure them while waiting for the episode to get on with itself. She's also been a repeated obstruction for the other cast members. Off the top of my head, she messed up Rainbow's tornado in "Swarm of the Century" drove Twilight totally crazy in both "Feeling Pinkie Keen" and "Green isn't your Color" and was probably single-handedly responsible for most of the destruction in "Over a Barrel."

[SaintRidley]

*snip*

I really do feel that Pinkie is something of a force of nature (or a force beyond nature, like Cthulhu and the Lovecraftian gods). Look at the scenes you cite from Green Is Not Your Color or the insanity from last week's episode. Pinkie is beyond not normal. She's reality-warping.

Which is why I find her interesting, at least. I can see and understand annoying, though. That's what I thought for the first few episodes. Then the hints of abomination-ness started cropping up.


My ranking for ponies?

1. Rainbow Dash and Rarity

They are just simply superb.

3. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie

Pinkie gets in here as a result of her absolute insanity. Fluttershy is just so memetastic and adorable.

5. Twilight Sparkle

Love her, but being the straight pony to the others' antics half the time hurts her a bit. I'm jealous of her library living quarters, though.

6. Applejack

Give this pony a focus episode that doesn't eventually become focus for somepony else already!

[Lix Lorn]

And if anyone needs a reason OTHER than for the sake of friendship to keep the friendship alive, keeping a Trixie about has to be it, don't you think?

Cause I kinda see her point. Let's go back to the days of rainbows and sparkles.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Pun intended?

Habit, actually.

[Raz_Fox]

Recently, I remember (beside random comments) discussion about Wakfu, which I wanted to comment on, but stayed my hoof, out of fear I'll be branded neighsayer, too. But this... I don't know, maybe there was something good I missed recently, but...

I think the antipathy to the constant Wakfu comparisons is that most of us here like MLP and want to talk about how awesome MLP is without constant "It should be like Wakfu."

Like, I like Gunnerkrigg Court, and I actually think it's better than Order of the Stick, but I don't go into OotS threads and say "Why can't this be more like Gunnerkrigg Court?"

You know, this *isn't* what I signed for in these threads. If that is what they will now look like, sorry, I'll be hurt, and I'll try to keep friendship alive by PM/IMs, but they will no longer be a place where I'd like to hang on

Lead by example. If we want the pony threads to be civil, friendly places, we need to act in such a manner.

[Welf]

*Sigh* No. It's just... I remember when we used all these Pony history or government system discussions. Good, deep, nice threads where everypony could have voiced his/her opinion. And now?

I like to think positive: the threads will become better soon. What we see is the usual disappointment when the expectations grow too high. You expect something so wonderful that the real thing has no actual chance against the dream. And that's when the nitpicking begins. As Thanquol wrote, since he left the party before the actual stream the episode could have been anything, and that is wonderful. But the season is over, and after we discussed it to end, we will go back to expect the next season and what wonderful things will happen then.

(PS: your quote rightfully pointing out SaintRidley's spoiler is now a spoiler itself)

And to lift spirits: (no episode spoiler)

Spoiler

Show

Artist: TheXxX

[Lix Lorn]

Also, Trixie has graced us with a BEAUTIFUL Derpy OP image. Go look.

[darthbobcat]

Thank you, Rarity, for showing us the Element of Laughter once again.

... hey wait...

[Gamerlord]

Great OP image.

[Mystic Muse]

Great OP image. I love the ponies being turned into princess mode.

[RdMarquis]

Hehe, nice. The citizens of Ponyville are going to be surprised when a giant, glowing muffin rises into the sky.

[darthbobcat]

Hehe, nice. The citizens of Ponyville are going to be surprised when a giant, glowing muffin rises into the sky.

I think there was one of the April Fool fics like that.

[Gamerlord]

Okay, this is getting silly.
ED is already more then halfway to 6 million.

[PhantomFox]

Proposal to help while away the off-season: Character studies for each of the mane cast, and the supporting cast as well. The supporting cast is what I focus my story ideas on, as there's just enough characterization to extrapolate on (Celestia, Luna, Zecora, Big Mac), but not too much to be obvious (Main Cast), and not too little enough to be a blank slate (Background Ponies).

[Gaelbert]

Spoiler

Show

Final Adendum: I think Rarity is now confirmed heterosexual. Fortunately, I don't think that'll ruffle any of the local feathers.

Vague episode spoilerish discussion

Spoiler

Show

Not that it'll ever come up in the show, but why couldn't she be bisexual?

[Kairaven]

I am going to speak my peace, get it out of the system and that's it.

I am not sprouting hate and anger, if you take it as such, I'm sry, that is the failing of the written words.

Everyone I interact with, whether I can see them face to face, starts out as friends. I automatically create a personality profile for them, complete or not, it's constantly being updated by inputs through more interaction. When conflicts arise, I will speak my mind, not as an attack, but simply a statement of what I see.

Fact is, if I respond to you in any way, it means I still see you as a person worth talking and being friends with.

Now, it you don't wish to respond to my statements or see me as being antagonistic. Say so, simply tell me that my points are invalid to you and that's fine. I'll ignore you posts and you can post anything you wish from that point on without response from me. It doesn't hurt my feelings.

Now I believe in mixing good comments with bad. So let me say this.

I enjoy irbis's humorous interpretation of "happy" pictures and his support of iron hoof. But serioisly, post one positive thing about ponies that keeps you in the fandom. Cause right now, my incomplete mental profile of you does not show you as a fan.

[darthbobcat]

Vague episode spoilerish discussion

Spoiler

Show

Not that it'll ever come up in the show, but why couldn't she be bisexual?

Point. I just tend to forget about that possibility, truth be told.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...LGY9_gG&pli=1#

Also, this is the most darkly hilarious fanfic I've read in ages. SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 26.

[Lix Lorn]

I am going to speak my peace, get it out of the system and that's it.

I am not sprouting hate and anger, if you take it as such, I'm sry, that is the failing of the written words.

Everyone I interact with, whether I can see them face to face, starts out as friends. I automatically create a personality profile for them, complete or not, it's constantly being updated by inputs through more interaction. When conflicts arise, I will speak my mind, not as an attack, but simply a statement of what I see.

Fact is, if I respond to you in any way, it means I still see you as a person worth talking and being friends with.

Now, it you don't wish to respond to my statements or see me as being antagonistic. Say so, simply tell me that my points are invalid to you and that's fine. I'll ignore you posts and you can post anything you wish from that point on without response from me. It doesn't hurt my feelings.

Now I believe in mixing good comments with bad. So let me say this.

I enjoy irbis's humorous interpretation of "happy" pictures and his support of iron hoof. But serioisly, post one positive thing about ponies that keeps you in the fandom. Cause right now, my incomplete mental profile of you does not show you as a fan.

Maybe he enjoys dark settings, and corrupting bright settings into that?

[Mando Knight]

Also:

Unless we changed the calender system, December isn't fall.

Depends on where you live. Several countries (such as the USA) define the beginning of the seasons at the solstices/equinoxes. Technically, in those places, fall ends more than halfway through December, usually between the 21st and 23rd.

Also, Derpestia is hilarious.

[darthbobcat]

Have some cute.

Spoiler

Show

Spoiler

Show

[Trixie]

I think the antipathy to the constant Wakfu comparisons is that most of us here like MLP and want to talk about how awesome MLP is without constant "It should be like Wakfu."

Maybe I speak out of turn as I wasn't the one who made this argument, but... Constant? Search finds six hits in this whole thread. Four if you discount two posts mentioning that title on this page. Since when one mention per 12 pages is 'constant'?

Also, I'd find it rather hard to suggest improvements without giving examples of series that actually have these improvements, as then really you can accuse someone of just baseless whining.

Lead by example. If we want the pony threads to be civil, friendly places, we need to act in such a manner.

...Am I to understand that as call to change my behaviour from uncivil to civil?

[Raz_Fox]

So, I just re-listened to At The Gala, now that it's on the internet.

Spoiler

Show

...Rainbow Dash must have more songs in the second season. MUST. Because I just swooned listening to that wonderful, wonderful singing voice.

In fact, I think I have even more inspiration to finish off part 2 of Misted Stage! Off to the writing presses!

Maybe I speak out of turn as I wasn't the one who made this argument, but... Constant? Search finds six hits in this whole thread. Four if you discount two posts mentioning that title on this page. Since when one mention per 12 pages is 'constant'?

It's a multi-thread thing. Like, from this thread, you might think that I've only posted a fanfic once.

It's been Ibris's Irbis Ibris Ibis Ibby Tabby my brain is full of DERP it's been his thing since... like, forever.

...Am I to understand that as call to change my behaviour from uncivil to civil?

That was more of a general thing towards anyone thinking the same thing - don't think first, how can I make other people change, but how can I provide a good example for these people so that they'll want to change?

For example, PhoeKun didn't tell people to start cranking out fanfic, she just provided an example that I decided to follow. And it really made me enjoy this fandom more, but I don't think I would have done it without her prolific ficcing.

Your behavior is usually quite civil, but I'm just saying - don't use the stick, use the carrot first. If you must show your displeasure, show it firmly but kindly, so that people will understand what they did wrong and how they can improve themselves without thinking that you're never going to forgive them for being meanieheads.



Also I will give my hand for a decent Braeburn picture because Ponibooru has failed me, failed me I say. PLEASE.

[Weimann]

Let's go back to the days of rainbows and sparkles.

Not that I frequent these threads, but I read them sometimes. It's a little funny, but from what I see, Trixie's point is "let's allow for something else than rainbows and sparkles." Like, y'know, opinions on the show, maybe even some that hold it out to be less than perfect.

If I may speak for myself, I like watching MLP, but I've never really been able to get into the whole fandom thing on GitP. The main reason is, well, the thread here tends to not actually discuss the series; for every post about an episode, there's five about fanfics and similar. I think that this, at least partly, is due to the comparatively low amount of opposed opinions, which in turn makes it harder to voice criticism without getting a chilly welcome, leading to even fewer opposed opinions and so on. I don't think the community here would suffer from a bit of analysing the series; after all, that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Edit: Oh, and also, favourite list.

6) Applejack - I don't actually dislike her, but she's never gotten much of a character defining episode. Also, I find she and Rainbow Dash should switch Elements of Harmony. In the end, though, she's an enjoyable character, and I do love her accent. A-yup.

5) Twilight Sparkle - My main problem with Twilight is that she's so inconsistent. In one episode she spams teleport instead of walking 5 feet, the next she can't port over a crumbling cliff when hunted by a manticore. She regularly manipulates multiple books and objects by telekinesis but can't catch a single parchment that blows off her balcony. It just... gets to me. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with her, and she can get awfully cute in a geeky sort of way.

4) Rainbow Dash - A breath of fresh air (hah) in the series. She's refreshing in that she speaks her mind without a care in the world and is generally a brave and straight-forward character (which is why I think Honesty would fit her better than Loyalty, which really seems to be more Applejack's thing). She's also more boyish than the rest, which makes her stand out nicely.

3) Fluttershy - Adorable. What else to say? By contrast, the times she breaks the form, it really hits home. But mostly, adorable. Yay.

2) Rarity - Liking how they pull off mixing the beautiful gold-digger socialite with the generous caretaker; that is hard to do convincingly. Actually giving her a job helps, of course. She really is one of the best crafter characters in the series.

1) Pinkie Pie - She just goes with everything. There's nothing that doesn't get better by adding Pinkie Pie, true fact. She might be a bit more shallow than the other characters, but damn it, she makes up for it in pure energy.

[Benson]

Braeburn pic

Spoiler

Show