Just a little something I whipped up last night.

Hey everypony. For those of you who aren’t in the know (what rock have you been living under?), McDonald’s in the US had My Little Pony toys in the Happy Meals last month. I’ve finally got the full set, but I know there are bronies out there who either didn’t have the money, time, opportunity, or courage to get the girl’s toy. (Also, living outside the US etc. etc.)

Well guess what? For every pony I picked up, I also managed to grab two more! Here’s what I’m going to do: I’m raffling off one full set of all eight ponies (we’ll call this the “Prime Raffle”) and then raffle off each pony from the second set individual (the “Mini Raffle”). How am I doing this? Simple! Just post in this Reddit thread with the name of the raffle and (if you’re doing Mini) which pony you want to enter for.

You can enter into both raffles if you so choose, but you may only enter into one Mini raffle if you do so. You may also opt to enter two Mini raffles instead.

One last thing. I know I shouldn’t have to say it, but please don’t enter a Mini raffle for a pony you already have, or the Prime raffle if you already have three. That’s just poor sportsmanship.

The raffle will run until April 30, when I will announce the winners in a new thread. (And here on Tumblr.)

Good luck everypony!

Oh, and those of you who are adverse to using Reddit: Just make an account. Seriously, it takes three seconds and you don’t need an email.

Okay, as a former tailor I have to speak up. I just recently read a few fanfictions centering around “Suited for Success”, and the term haute couture is thrown around a lot simply because Fluttershy mentions it during the Art of the Dress reprise. Haute couture simply refers to the practice of creating custom-fitted clothing, and is practiced informally around the world. It is not a specific style or stitch; rather, it is a flowing art form which depends on the skill of the designer and tailor.

In France, haute couture actually has a protected status. In order to use the phrase, a designer has to work made-to-order (not exclusively), have an atelier (workshop) in Paris which employs at least fifteen workers, and be able to present at least seventy new designs each season to the Parisian press (thirty-five day- and evening-wear). In a sense, Fluttershy actually insults Rarity by requesting she employ methods specific to haute couture, because that implies she already did not meet these standards.

Just something to think about.

According to Cheerilee, Discord is the representation of “a lack of harmony between friends.” During The Return of Harmony pts. 1 & 2, he demonstrates a careless disregard for any sort of logic or order, turning the entire town of Ponyville into the Chaos Capital of Equestria. (In addition to the other, off-camera changes on the rest of the world.) Ultimately, he seeks to break down the bonds of friendship between the Mane Six and, therefore, break their connection to the Elements.

But does that make Discord evil? Certainly by our criteria, attempting to dissolve a group of friends could be considered “evil.” But this belies the true purpose of Discord’s actions: to remove any threat to his rule over Equestria. Discord acts the way he does because he simply does not believe in any higher cause than himself. He does whatever he wants, the rules be damned. I don’t feel this makes him evil: rather, it makes Discord one of the few true examples of amoralism. To quote Discord: “Oh, what fun is there in making sense?” Order and structure is an integral part of Equestrian society, and Discord believes that chaos, rather than order, is the purest form of expression. As a powerful magic being, he has the ability to modify the world to his liking, and remove any semblance of order from the land.

During part 1, Pinkie Pie demonstrates that she is the pony most well-adapted to survive in a world dominated by a chaotic despot. Her natural affinity with silliness as the Element of Laughter makes her get along quite well with Discord (before her transformation into Pinkie Grey in part 2) and, had she not been an Element, she could potentially have been a liason between the ponies and Discord.

When examining any character, it is important to question the motives behind their actions. As an amoral character, Discord’s behavior has no rhyme or reason. As a moral and structured society, we tend to see any deviation from the standard formula to be evil, or at a minimum unacceptable. Examining Discord offers the opportunity to explore the possibilities of life without rules or consequences. Perhaps if Discord were to work with Pinkie Pie, a chaotic yet good world could be created. Harmless pranks and inconsistencies would make the world so much more interesting, don’t you think?

Yes, I know consistency in a society is what drives progress and innovation. Just entertain the thought with me.

nittany-tiger:

I need money badly and I can’t do commissions because I don’t have an art streak yet.  I do have a physics degree going to waste though (and years of meteorology graduate school).  What if I offered tutoring to everyone?  $8/hr - $10/hr?  What do you all think about this?

If you know anything about me, you know I don’t just reblog things on a whim. This is one of the guys behind Brony State, if that means anything to you. I don’t have need of their services, but maybe you will.

This is a slightly modified and expanded version of a comment I recently submitted on Reddit explaining the way I see and understand magic in the Equestrian universe.

Magic is, essentially, a unicorn projecting the way she sees the world onto the actual world, manipulating it until it suits their needs. Her thoughts and impressions are transmitted through their horn, and the world conforms. This is most readily apparent with Twilight and Rarity’s telekinesis, but it also applies to other magic as well. For example, Twilight’s teleportation or Trixie’s illusions (the ones that weren’t pyrotechnics-based). All a unicorn has to do is think “that should be this way” and, if they’re powerful enough, it is so. Alicorns can exert a massive amount of control over the world around them, so they’re seen as godlike by other ponies.

When Twilight restored her friends’ memories, all she did was unlock the memories which were already there. I picture her thought process as roughly following these lines:

• Discord corrupted my friends by turning them into that which they’re not
• They seem to have no recollection of the spark (that is, the bonds of friendship that strentghen their Element characteristic)
• Therefore, all I have to do is nudge them so those memories exist again

She didn’t have to insert the memories themselves — only the fact that they existed. This is different than re-creating the memories from scratch or, as the parent post implied, simply inserting Twilight Sparkle’s version of the memories. While this does imply extremely powerful magic, Twilight is possibly the most powerful unicorn in Equestria (considering her cutie mark is representative of magic and she is the physical embodiment of the Element of Magic). It’s also probable that she’s especially powerful in any magic that specializes (or derives its power from) friendship. (TeaglinR phrased is thusly: “Twilight is a Friendship Mage. I like it.”)

Remember also that Twilight’s failsafe spell failed. This is because she attempted to address the symptoms of Discord’s reign rather than the cause. When two magical forces act in opposition, the stronger one trumps the weaker. The failsafe spell was in direct opposition to Discord’s designs, and draconequui are, so far, the most individually powerful magical creatures in Equestria (only being defeated by first Luna and Celestia, and then the Mane Six, utilizing the Elements together). By saving her friends, she’s circumventing Discord’s power and removing the cause — namely, disharmony between friends.

Over the past few days, I have been reading many fan-fiction works while working on my own, in a vague attempt to gain some insight into the creative process. (I am not a strong writer.) During this time, I found one of the best fan-fiction works I have ever read, entitled Equestria’s Twilight. As is the case with most great fan-fiction, it’s also dark as hell, so be warned. It’s still incomplete, so if that bothers you I’d steer clear until it’s finished. However, the story (no matter how excellent) is not the focus of this article. Its author has taken the time to examine the possibilities surrounding Equestria’s sun and moon, as well as its apparent lack of geothermal energies and proper season control. In particular, the author’s notes in chapter six and chapter seven go into much detail.

I highly recommend this fic, mainly because it is much more cerebral than most and covers a lot of territory. The author doesn’t expect so, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it clocks in (get it? Because time travel is important in this fic…) on the same level as some of the more epic fics.

Luna damn it, I need to stop reading so much dark fiction. It’s taking an actual emotional toll on me. Good thing the fanfic I’m working on is much more lighthearted than my usual work!

SeeNotC over on Reddit created something wonderful – an in-depth description of how magic affects Equestria and where it is derived. He is currently using it in his work, The Day a new Sun Rises, which you can find on his deviantART. (Update: He’s re-hosted it on his DA profile here if you don’t have a Google account.)

I think I’m in love.

Not sure if serious, but it wouldn’t surprise me. It was mentioned over on r/mlp that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a show focused on women – As Told By Ginger was a particular favorite of mine when I was younger. The problem is that everyone’s so used to their Saturday morning cartoons being about boys that it became the norm.

Bitches be bitches. There will always be people complaining about this kind of pedantic bullshit.

Lots of non-fans gripe about the focus on women and the degredation of boys/men in the show. Most of them point toward the main cast being primarily composed of women and the overwhelming majority of power being held by mares. There are a few things wrong with those points, but first let’s take a look at the male cast of the show. (Note that I am only going to list characters with a speaking part. I’m not listing every Miscellaneous Background Pony #16.) Fan names are marked with an asterisk.

In the first season, we are introduced to Snips and Snails, two bumbling colts who almost destroy Ponyville by leading an Ursa Minor into town to prove Trixie’s magical superiority (Boast Busters, probably one of my favorite episodes). In Cloudsdale we meet the three jock ponies during Sonic Rainboom (and the introduction of Doctor Whooves*). A Dog and Pony Show gives us the Diamond Dogs. Hoity Toity is an important supporting character in Suited for Success. Braeburn, Sheriff Silverstar, and Chief Thunderhooves arrive during Over a Barrel. Prince Blueblood is Rarity’s foil in The Best Night Ever. Soarin’ (the Wonderbolt) has bit parts in Sonic Rainboom and The Best Night Ever. Not to mention Spike and Big SwagMacintosh, of course.

In what’s come out of season two so far, we’ve got Discord (The Return of Harmony pts. 1 & 2; arguably two of the best episodes so far), Pipsqueak (Luna Eclipsed), Filthy Rich (Family Appreciation Day), Fancypants (Sweet and Elite), Flim and Flam (The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000), Horse, MD* (Secret of my Excess), and finally EKG* (Rainbow Dash’s primary care physician during her stay in Read it and Weep).

Already we can see that there is a significant male cast. While I won’t argue that they’re relegated to supporting roles, it makes sense: after all, this show’s primary audience is young girls. In addition, the My Little Pony brand is targeted at girls and has always had a main cast of women. The brony community was an unexpected result of the show’s awesomeness level exceeding 10.

“But wait!” I can already hear them crying. “Equestria is ruled by women! The Princesses hold absolute power!” Well, so does Elizabeth II (technically; British law is complicated). So did Mary Queen of Scots. It’s worth noting that not all of Equestria is ruled by women: Chief Thunderhooves, for instance, is the leader of a tribe of buffalo. A commonly-held fanon belief is that the zebra lands are ruled by a male Caesar (yup, you guessed it: Fallout: Equestria). Even the Mayor of Ponyville holds an elected position. The Princesses are important parts of the world: essentially deities who maintain a benevolent rule. They hold the best interests of all ponykind closest to their hearts.

The point of this ramble is that the characters of Equestria would work as either male or female. Their gender makes no difference. Each of the Mane Six have character flaws which are not gender-specific, as well as strengths that anyone can aspire to. Only two major antagonists have been male: Discord and the Diamond Dogs. (Not including the dragon in Dragonshy, since the dragon is more of a plot device than an antagonist.) Trixie, Gilda (The Griffon Brush-Off), and Nightmare Moon are all female. The roles are shared very well, and while it makes sense to mark someone like Discord as male (to contrast with the Princesses), the character would have worked just as well as a female Draconequus. (Though John DeLancie is an amazing voice actor.)

I’d love to see a fan-made remake of a few episodes, with the genders of the characters swapped. I expect the message would remain exactly the same, and it would finally prove that the show is just as relevant to boys as it is to girls.