My Little Series Finale

Wow. So. 9 years of pony and all the attendant memories and experiences just ended...TV trouble made me late in watching the final three episodes. Which are among the best of the series--a most welcome finale following those bottom-of-the-barrel last three episodes of a certain series I had to suffer in April. -_- Pones beat Thrones, whodathunk? Equesteros trampled Westeros. xD End of an era indeed. It hit harder and got me more nostalgic than I was expecting or prepared to feel atm. Good stuff, though. The two-parter made the stakes seem seriously high despite the knowledge that the power of pony palship would prevail and nopony would get murderized. Good show, DisQord. And the final one, well...*sniff* Feels. Like I needed 'em after the very similar Arthur episode that was on the other day, where LaDonna's move mirrored Twilight's.

So weird seeing giant-size Twilight with the ever-flowing, ethereal queenly-princess hair. And buff grown-up Spike. o.O Sooo, wait a sec. This means Twilight is gonna outlive everypony else? What's the lifespan of one of these uber-princesses? Surely Silver Shoals isn't just the Equestrian version of Shady Pines? Pinkie apparently married and had a foal with Cheese. What about everypony else? (Rainbow & Soarin', Twilight & Flash? Starlight & Sunburst? Rarity &...Idk, did she ever find herself a "prince?" What about Applejack and Fluttershy? Just wondering. I myself have no desire for marriage or kids, yet somehow I do love pairing up characters and envisioning offspring. xD It certainly isn't necessary, though.) Guessing from the undereye lines and grey in certain manes that the mane six (save for Twi?) are supposed to be in the equivalent of their 50s/60s in this future with Luster Dawn (oooooh, her hair PERDY.) Not yet the 70s/80s/90s of a Granny Smith-style pony. Speaking of whom...they must have passed on by that point. ;.;

Anyway, I loved pausing to see who all featured in the series finale, or at least were pictured behind the mane six in the end. Highlights weerrre...
-Starlight's role was awesome; she kicked flank. And Trixie. :3
-Lemon Hearts! (Twi, why were you confused? You know her...she's one of your old Ponyville friends...)
-Sandbar's family looks cool. The dreadlocked surfer dad especially. xD Although, I do have to ask...Sandbar...did you...move in with Yona in the future? As in like, a couple? I'm sorry, I just...A, how does that interspecies stuff even work, and B...I didn't ship it when he asked her to the dance. They're friends and it's great, but I just can't see that. And I mean, of all the pretty ponies, Sandy...! Sounds shallow, I know, but really, of all ponies or creatures...:/ The Young Six were all cool throughout the episodes though.
-Anywho. Speaking of SHIPPING...put Neighsay with Snapdragon, 'cause she's my ponysona, baby. >;3
-And PLEASE tell me Maud & Mudbriar had kids. ;_; Equestria needs little thems for sure. x3 Maud is tied with Limestone for Best Pie.
-Love the preeeeeetty curly-haired Pegasus who was leading them ("Cotton Sky?" Might not be official, but...) Nice to see that she and "Winter Lotus" (perdy earth pone) are actually friends. Also liked Miss "You-Better-Fix-This" and other angry earth ponies. x->
-Fleur de Lis & Sassy Saddles!
-Was Firelight there or did I imagine it? I know Stellar Flare was.
-Flim & Flam, fightin' with the good guys! ^o^ :'}
-Treehugger!
-Gordon Ramsay pony when Big Mac was dropping off the second box
-Coloratura "Ra-Ra!" Cherry Jubilee! Pear Butter, Vapor Trail, Stygian & the Pillars, Big Bucks, Hoity-Toity!
-NEEDED MORE SUNSET SHIMMER...she was briefly glimpsed behind Twilight at the end of the final song, but they made that backdrop so difficult to see anyway.
-Twist...but OMFG, WTFH, THAT IS NOOOOT WHAT TWIST LOOKS LIKE AS A MARE. This is my biggest gripe. Just because she was a bit taller and leaner (and more elegant :p) than the other fillies doesn't mean she's destined to have a more awkward shape like that. #dafuq She'd basically look like my ponysona--same bright curly red hair, way better than it was drawn in the finale. Replace her with the real mare-Twist right now; that's an order.
-Lyra Heartstrings, all the usual Ponyville residents...the floral trio, Strawberry Sunrise, Cherry Berry...Moondancer, Tempest Shadow, the various factions (Ember & the dragons [Fume! :D Cinders!], hippogriff/seaponies, etc. Featherweight and lots of relatives & friends from all throughout the series; the mane six's families (just the main Apples and no Oranges though, sob...gotta love Peachy Sweet, Apple Brown Betty, Apple Split, Jonagold, Aunt Orange, Lady Justice, etc...)
-Doc Top (no Post Haste or Nursery Rhyme)
-Spitfire & the Wonderbolts & other Pegasi ofc (Fleetfoot, Cloud Kicker, etc.) Quibble Pants w/ Clear Sky & Wind Sprint.
-Sweetie Belle actually looks the best of the CMC as an adult (she was always my third-fave. She's still cool.)

Shame, though, that so many of the beautiful blind-bag and brushable ponies never made it into the show (or even a bloody comic) for a single wee barely-there cameo. I have loads of approximately organized/ranked images of all of them on Pinterest. (Bloody grand idear: Let's do a future film using as many as possible for characters. I volunteer as Feathermay!)
And speaking of the comics, they included some pretty awesome characters themselves (e.g., AURORA MUFFIN, Cauldron Bubbles, Gilded Lily, Thestra, Rhoda Ruby, Goldcap, Pumpkin Twizzle, Java Bolt...)
~names~

Who else would I have most hoped to see pop up in the end, but I don't believe did?
Lightning Dust. Other Equestria Girls characters (the Dazzlings, Crystal Prep girls & Cinch, Gloriosa, Juniper, Timber...esp. Adagio, Aria, Lemon Zest, Sour-Sweet, Sugarcoat!) Cloudchaser/Stormwalker & Flitter. Harshwhinny. Prim Hemline (First Folio & one of Scoots' cool aunts reminded me of her in the face.) Buttonbelle (good twin of Suri.) Photo Finish. Torch Song. Pretzel. Coconut Cream (who is apparently the pastel magenta/green/yellow-haired daughter of the neon fuchsia/lime/yellow-haired Coconut Cream.) Fire Flare. Lighthoof & Shimmy Shake. Sans Smirk. Silver Shill. Blossomforth. All "new favorite characters" marked in blog from recent seasons; bowling/80s/Crystal ponies, delegates, Manehattan residents/boutique customers & employees, spa assistants, Golden Harvest/Carrot Top/other fave Ponyville residents...guess that'd cover it pretty well. xD

...and now the DVR is replaying the show from the beginning. It's on Look Before You Sleep. x3

Oh right, S9 fave episodes:
The first 2+last 3!
Between Dark and Dawn
Student Counsel
Frenemies
The Summer Sun Setback (Love ya, Chrysalis...xD)
Growing Up Is Hard to Do
Sweet and Smoky

And least, probably: A Trivial Pursuit, She's All Yak, & The Last Crusade in a way

Oh damn, the pony creator V. 3 is gone! Wanted to design what Twist-a-Loo actually looks like as a mare...which is a lot like Snapdragon/me as an earth pony in her ivory/eggshell color. Because of course the curly-redhead was lean and leggy and svelte while her classmates were still short and squat and dumpy. She’ll be a gorge adult, not this “hurrdy-durr, gangly nerd” look. -_- 

MLP G1-3.5

Sooooo, I was never really into MLP before the G4 design overhaul, which I much prefer to the previous generations...I knew Minty and several of the others who inspired some of the characters and blind bag/brushable toys of G4. I’d always thought some of them had fun colors and names; I think I once mildly considered buying the Minty Christmas video or storybook or something at Target...but yeah, I never got absorbed into Pegasisterhood/bronydom until FiM came along. But now, thanks to the fine folks at MLP Merch, I am finally fully acquainted with the prior three-and-a-half generations of ponies. So what do I immediately have to do? Naturally, pick favorites. ;p And am I a fan of neon? Yeah, just a little bit, you could say... 

1.    Hula Hula
2.    Sweet Notes
3.    Tuneful
4.    Sunny Salsa
5.    Gardenia Glow
6.    Puzzlemint
7.    Caribbean Delight
8.    Jazzie
9.    Half Note
10.    Melody
11.    Sea Breeze
12.    Pina Colada
13.    Pretty Beat
14.    Sunsplasher
15.    Sundance
16.    Dazzleglow
17.    Sunbeam
18.    Berry Bright
19.    Brightglow
20.    Coconut Cream
21.    Waterfire
22.    Beachberry
23.    Kiwi Tart
24.    Tangerine Twinkle
25.    Wishawhirl
26.    Fizzy Pop (Fizzypop!) <33
27.    Pepperberry
28.    Citrus Sweetheart
29.    Seascape
30.    Dainty Daisy
31.    Shady
32.    Amberlocks
33.    Tropical Breeze
34.    Tic Tac Toe
35.    Rocky
36.    Miss Painter
37.    Tangerine Sunset
38.    Pumpkin Tart
39.    Tropical Surprise
40.    Soda Float
41.    Swirlypop
42.    Butter Pop
43.    Paradise Island
44.    Dance Slippers
45.    Dance Around
46.    Morning Glory
47.    Dream Drifter
48.    Orange Flower
49.    Bright Bramley
50.    Hip Holly
51.    Princess Crystal
52.    Lady Moonshine
53.    Merriweather
54.    Pinwheel
55.    Sky Rocket
56.    Party Time
57.    Mimic
58.    Starflower
59.    Cherry Treats
60.    Raspberry Jam
61.    Wigwam
62.    Sugarberry
63.    Wind Drifter
64.    "Superhero" & "Dandelion pony"
65.    Desert Blossom 
66.    Honolu-loo
67.    Bowtie
68.    Berries N Cherries
69.    Anchors Away
70.    Jade Garden
71.    Charm Bracelet
72.    Autumn Crisp
73.    Jingle Jangle
74.    Rainbowberry
75.    Round N Round
76.    Sweet Summertime
77.    Flitter Flutter
78.    Sunshimmer
79.    Sunny Daze
80.    Pink Sunsparkle
81.    Cute[A?]saurus (or TOOTIE TAILS, for a pone)
82. Guava Lava! 
83. Flippity Flop!!
84. Island Rainbow!! 
85. Cinnamon Breeze!!! And GAH, RAINBOW SWIRL (oh, that cutie mark!!)


...Most are pretty cute/pretty...could list 'em all if I kept going eternally...Daisyjo, Marigold, Amazing Grace, Cotton Candy, Wing Song, Peachy Pie, Rainbow Flash, Aloha Pearl, Ocean Dreamer, Tea Lily, Princesses Star Gleamer & Peppermint, Lemon Drop, Candy Apple, Goldilocks, Sparkleworks, Sunspot, Starburst Crystal Lake, Love Wishes, Skydancer, Skyflier, Toola-Roola, Sunshine Parade, Bubblecup, Desert Rose, Summer Bloom, Lily Flower, Sunribbon, Star Surprise, Seashell, Boogie-Woogie, Sherbet ("Sundae Best" set ^^), Triple Treat, Lolligiggle, Daybreak, Sunny Sparkles, Royal Bouquet, Peach Blossom, Baby Susie, July Jubilee ;)...

85/124/305/2305
oh me oh my 

The "OH FFS" section: They keep bloody adding pictures. Wish they hadn't announced the database until it was 100% completed! Shall I keep mentioning more faves as e-mails arrive? Guess so! `-`

Melody
Cascade
Hip-Hop
Baby Lollipop, Waddles
Fireball
Moonstone
(Baby) Up Up & Away
Gypsy
Tenderheart
Patch
Bon-Bon
Baby Alphabet
Sweet Delight 
Magic Star, Bangles, Sunburst, Cherry Sweet, Masquerade, Medley, Napper, Moondancer
"Peacock"/"Egyptian" ponies, Sports-Time, Buttons, several of the ones that were given that reddish-hot-pink doll hair (e.g. Glory) or the turquoise

*~*

Also, needa vent a tad bitta frustration. 5 years back Mom & I decided @ Meet the Breeds that our next dog should be a wee longhaired Russian Toy. Then the Bluetick turned up at the vet's, & to adopt her I agreed to spay my beloved Saluki--thereby effectively foregoing the idea of entering her in Westminster. Fast-forward to last year when Fred has the gall to buy a retriever/mountain dog mix he isn't prepared for, and then dump his ridiculously difficult, terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-bad-boi ass on us. -_- I need to find someone who wants (or at least isn't picky and likes) my favorite breeds.
More generally...I need to find someone(s) compatible with my goals...who wants and is able to do what I wanna do, or again, is at least open to/would enjoy it even if their profile didn't exactly match mine. Because that'd be impossible. ;p

New fave MLP characters: Season 8. Let us commence.

Neighsay!!
Sandbar!
Mudbriar
Gallus
Smolder (kinda the Scootaloo of dragons)
Ocellus
Silverstream
Yona
Seaspray
Grampa Gruff

...So, all of 'em so far. x~3 

Cont.... 
Big Bucks (& Jackpot, the stallion version of Trixie)--who were so cool to AJ's Golden Girl quartet ;]
Ocean Flow (& Terramar [totally not obvious from the start that he's destined to be another resident of both land & sea], Sky Beak. Loved the CMC song in that one; I was with Scoots. "Unda da sea!" Is the place to be. ;] Definite Lil' Mermaid vibes.)

From "Fake It 'Til You Make It" (shame Pretzel wasn't in here!!): Strawberry Ice, Blueberry Curls, Luckette, Silver Berry, Mare E. Lynn, Mare E. Belle, the goth stallion. And ofc Sassy Saddles & Rarity's assistant trio, Pursey Pink, & the goth mare again. 

Firelight (to be mayhaps shipped with Stellar Flare? ;3) & the other Sire's Hollow residents

(And oh, how I do love Limestone & Starlight!!) 

*~*~*~*~*

Best episodes of S8:

• School Raze: Part II (Excellent finale that made good use of so many characters. And HELP I'M IN LOVE WITH NEIGHSAY. ;3; )
• School Raze: Part I
• The Hearth's Warming Club*
• The Maud Couple
• On the Road to Friendship
• The Mean 6
• Grannies Gone Wild
• The Parent Map
• What Lies Beneath
• Horse Play
• Surf and/or Turf (for the song)
• Sounds of Silence (same!)
• Friendship University**
• The Washouts

*Hearth's Warming Club: This was a great episode! What an adorable 'Christmas' story. Each student's tale was hilarious (even Gallus' sad one, because it sounded like so many families on Thanksgiving.) I particularly liked Sandbar's "miracles." This one was so great from start to finish...kept me wondering who the culprit was and why, until it became obvious. Made up for the previous episode ("A Matter of Principals") being a bit weak, despite featuring both Starlight and Discord. My only complaint here would be that I hoped Gallus would go home with one of his friends to join in on their celebration; didn't seem entirely appropriate for them all to skip out on their families. I suppose they're old enough to make the choice to be someplace else for one year, but...anyways, good ep.

**Friendship University: Rafting Treehugger! Chancellor Neighsay!! Flim & Flam...singing, running a speciesist ponies-only school that overcharges for each plagiarized worksheet of incomplete lessons to raise funds for resort expansion...aw, was kinda hoping this would be a case of Twilight being wrong, but knew that was a slim chance. Those guys are to Equestria what Raffish Ralph is to Bear Country. It'd be fine for there to be another school in another area, so other pones have a chance to, uh, study how to be friendly. xD This one made Twi sound like a Mary Sue, but her personality still feels real & relatable, and she still reacts to shit in her flustered way...

(Worst: A Matter of Principals, Yakity-Sax)

A few favorite reactions to "Best Gift Ever":
-I FUCKING LOVE PINKIE'S SISTERS SOOOOO GOTDAMN MUCH. Especially Limestone. And Maud. (But I am the best at gift-giving, Limes. That's just facts. I'm like a yak...best at everything. Only, including gifting. I find the just-right, most-awesome, most-perfect shit for everybody.) The fact that Mudbriar is there with Maud as they're picking at their rock presents...omg. Warmed me cold dead heart of blackness.
-Discord has clearly never been to Yankee Candle.
-Was it just me or did we only see Ocellus' group at the end, of the young six? Yona might've been in with the yaks, but I was waiting for the hippogriffs, griffons, dragons, Sandbar...
-That Derpy scene was SOLID. FREAKIN'. GOLD. And infuriating on Rarity's behalf, lol.
-The magic pudding looks INSANELY SCRUMP. Intensely pistachio. (Which happens to be the name of a new character.)
-Hope Flim & Flam found SOME holiday spirit...guess they're incurable con artists, but somehow I can't help liking them. Like Raffish Ralph.
-Guessing the Gift Givers of the Grove were kinda inspired by the Ghosts of Christmas Past/Present/Future? Which is what I thought they were at first...
-"Minty Bubblegum" is pretty.
-The Secret Santa system is kinda practical, but also kinda blows...only having to give one gift means only receiving one...:/ xp 

*~*~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*~*~*

**'PONY GROUPINGS' SECTION!! VOW. MY FIRST "SECTION" ON PINTEREST & 'TIS OH SO GEEWWWWD...   The 4 Snapdragon pics which happened to be on the board have links for Ikulas Photobucket Pony-Creator albums.

* p0n3face collage /)^3^(\  & the tumblr header and loads of other awesome pony-crew pics in that section of the board...including the new S7/8 grouping.
* mes noms de pone (des pones?)
* ponies, ponies, poniieeesss (Scooby, Hey Arnold, Frankenweenie pone...whateva...) Oh, yeah. An' yeah... Just added 2 pix to the last one of all the thumbnails from all of 'em+the computer folders. xD

WTF, Pinterest, everything should be fully visible whether you're logged-in or not. What is the point of forcing people to register? That's just an immediate turnoff. You rock and rule and shouldn't be that way. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And then...I tried this damned-near-impossible GoT character-ranker thingy, but realized it's impossible to put them in numerical order. I can only group them roughly. Like so...

Love: Daenerys, Arya, Melisandre, Brienne, Olenna, Ygritte, Jon, Varys, Tyrion, Tormund, Jorah, Samwell, Sandor, Jaime, Beric, Davos, Podrick, Barristan, Ned, Drogo, Hot Pie! (All the dragons & direwolves!)
// Like: Bronn, Robb, Syrio!!, Benjen, Robert, Catelyn, Bran, Aemon, Jeor, Edd, Margaery, Stannis, Oberyn, Mance, Gendry, Meera, Jojen, Yara, Theon......Asha, Brynden, Qhorin, Loras, Renly...Sansa I guess, though she's still kinda 'meh' (as are most of the didn't-make-the-show ones from the Tumblr thingy since, y'know, they weren't significant enough to be needed...)
// Hate: Roose, Tywin, Euron, Pycelle, Baelish, Cersei, Joffrey, Ramsay

...And what the fuck was that thing doing including Drogon but not the other dragons, certain direwolves, and characters who weren't even necessary enough for the show whilst omitting Jaqen, Grey Worm, Hodor, Osha, Thoros, Tommen, Gilly, Yara, Daario, Missandei, the Mountain, Qyburn, the Night King, Shireen, Lancel, Ellaria, Viserys, the High Sparrow, the Waif, Shae, Talisa, Lysa, Rickon, Myrcella--okay, everybody else is also much too minor (Illyrio, Doran, Trystane, Walda, Ros, Leaf, Craster, Lyanna x2, Unella/septas, Hizdahr, Eddison, Edmure, Green, Pypar, Tycho, Yoren, the 3-Eyed Raven, the peeps Dany met along the way, the other peeps on Arya's list, etc...) But still. O_o

Ranking the first half of MLP:FiM (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) Season 7!

1. Rock-Solid Friendship - Oh my god. My love for Maud is boundless. Only issue with this ep is that it needs a lot more Limestone. And Marble. Outside of Pinkie herself, those two are my favorite Pies. (Though I love the whole family...Cloudy Quartz & Igneous Rock are great. But oh, man, do I feel Limestone on a spiritual level. Maud, too.) I'm suuuuper-delighted that Maud now lives in Ponyville adjacent and is Starlight's latest new friend! Hopefully this means we're in for more Pie sister shenanigans (and I mean all four of 'em!)

2. The Perfect Pear - I'll just paste my YT comments about this one below.

3. Honest Apple - Stuff I adored: Inky Rose. 'Nother new fave! I'm all about her "Wednesday Addams" look. Excellent usage of buttons, spiderwebs, and black...8-D Also really like Lily Lace ("lit'rally" the Valley Girl one--but a cool, relatively smart VG?), and Starstreak. The fashion contest was rather brilliant. They pretty much brought their A-games. Inky's and Starstreak's creations are my favorites; I want them. Now. My style. Very. (Although, Inky was designing for stallions; maybe the spider-cutie-marked model's her bf? Or just f?)
Unsurprising, who voted for whom.
Starstreak's model's hair. (Actually Lily's as well.) Hoity-Toity and Photo Finish (who needs a fainting couch of her own! They both need to switch to untinted glasses so they can tell when belts are identical, though.) Rarity shredding on Pinkie's guitar; sick! Her asking "Is anything okay?" No, Rarity. Nothing is okay. Not one single solitary little thing. Strawberry Sunrise--ROFLMFAO. You never know when a random-ass blind-bag pony will appear as an actual named show character, and boy, can they surprise you. Never would've expected that to be her cameo, but I love it. Like oohhh, snap. Shots fired. xD
AJ's "Oh, whoops" moment was sorta priceless, too. Very well-done by both.
Gawd, she turned so mean on everypony--you'd think she'd get it by now that they're not designing things for working the fields/orchards. -_- AJ, I love ya, but you've helped with and worn and liked "girly," high-fashion shit before. Prioritizing function over fashion is great usually, but once again we just have somepony "getting carried away" and acting a little too extreme/unreasonable/jerkish so a lesson can be learned. Appreciate it, AJ...they did do a pretty wonderful joj. All in all, a good time. Nice ending. All three do deserve a boutique showcase. Bet that other goth-pone ('Moonlight Raven?') will be back to check out Inky Rose's items. And that they'd both love Maud.

4. A Royal Problem - Things I loved: The dignitaries (especially that pretty yellow/orange-haired one!) The hilarity of Luna, who evidently eats the outsides of pineapples. O_o Celestia's fruity pancake faces! 'Specially the pineapple/peach ones. 6: Twilight, still as insane as ever. <3 (But quit idolizing your fellow royals already, girl. Geez.) The reveal of Daybreaker was pretty epic, even if the battle wasn't precisely "real" (yet)...looked like a Fire-type vs. a Dark-type, hah. "Shadowball!" Terrific episode for both sisters! This one feels inspired by the Celestia-vs-Luna comic. In fact, there's a lot of match-up between the subject matter of recent issues and S7 episodes.
(Hey, Cellie, talking to oneself is behavior typical of the highly intelligent. ;) No wonder I do it so much. ;D Also, you don't throw away a beautiful plate of pancakes just because one pony doesn't want them right now! :O It was nice to get (very) quick glimpses of some Canterlot ponies and whatnot; I spotted a couple with red curls...;) In the castle staff and at the flower show. Luna's creepy teeth-falling-out nightmare, with the foals taunting her about her fake smiles, and the attitude Celestia uses to deal with ponies even when she's exhausted made me think of Effie. ;3;

5. Parental Glideance - Yaayy, my two fave ponies' parents are FINALLY met this season!! So Scoots' slingshot actually friggin' works and just HAPPENS to land at the hooves of..."Bow Hothoof?" I'm not understanding this name. Is it supposed to be some kind of pun/reference? Thought maybe it'd be spelled Beau, but...whatever. I love Windy Whistles! Her 80s look is RAD! Nice hair colors too. Of course, I'm disappointed they didn't make Firefly Dash's mum, but let's officially agree that she is her grandmother! Loved their house, Dash's favorite sammich, the amazing Pegasus-wing dexterity on display throughout the episode (too bad Lyra isn't one, they make better hands than hooves do), and the turtle poster ("When the going gets tough, the tough don't notice because they have hard shells!") And the fact that Rainbow's dad lit'rally tore off his shirt and threw it onto a random filly's face. XD There was some great writing and voice-acting going on in this one, truly. I must say, I am Dash...for better or worse, lol. "I'm AWEsome!" And I can't really blame her for the outburst?? I mean, guys. Really. Come on. There need to be limits, eh? It was a sweet ep, though, with the Dashaloo and family bonding. Windy & Bow certainly did make Dash who she is.

6. Hard to Say Anything - Got ourselves a canon Big Mac relationship! (A legitimate one!) Nice musical sequence. Great ending (with the title's fulfillment); Feather Bangs may be the town's Gaston/Bieber blend, but he's actually far less repellent than either of those. xD Now, who will HIS lucky "bimbette" be? Personally I might go with the one with the Flitter/Cloudchaser/Stormwalker-esque color scheme. Or perhaps the light-green/yellow...

7. All Bottled Up - Love Starlight. Her friendship with Trixie is great. Now, we've just gotta get her OTHER friend Sunset into the ACTUAL show (those latest EG shorts were fun, but c'mooooonnn. It's still kind of annoying that we had to get this whole weird pony-human dimension just to sell humanoid dolls as well as ponies. Like, if you wanted to do their human forms, fine, but why couldn't it have been realistic humans with human names and stuff...? Idk. I like EG, but we could just as easily do without it.)

8. Forever Filly - At first I was afraid Sweetie Belle was going to take on that insufferable "I'm grown-up and hate all that stupid baby stuff now" attitude. But actually, you sympathized more with her. It was quite obvious that she wanted to be helping Zipporwhill. Rarity was seriously oblivious. How RUDE is it to show up unannounced and assume that someone, even a child, is free to just drop whatever they were intending to do next to spend the whole day with you?! Anyway. No matter your age, you can still enjoy balloon animals and silly dressup and puppet shows and larger portions of your childhood-favorite ice cream flavor. Just, under better circumstances...?! The ending made it clear that neither is "too old" to goof off (messily) with her sister in public. xD Best part of the ep? RIPLEY! Omg, what a cutie. ;; That little terrier mix looks pretty much the way I picture Haribo/Harrybo (my Gummi Pup Sweet-Scented Pillow Pet who is too perfect for this undeserving world) to look in regular-dog (that is, non-dog/pillow-hybrid) form. Also, Sassy Saddles! Kept expecting the episode to cut back to her wishing for Rarity's return, but that would've been pretty cliche. Hope to continue seeing her. Also look forward to seeing the CMC grow physically (Twist is already taller, leaner, more svelte and sexy than the other fillies. She gon' be a bombshell. ;)

9. Not Asking For Trouble - "Pink pony better check self before wreck self!"

10. Discordant Harmony - Pinkie's advice was good; Disco (Cordy?) just went about it wrong. Now that they're besties, being himself does make Flutters comfy. ^^

11. Celestial Advice

12. Fluttershy Leans In - I kept waiting for the specialist ponies to see their errors and admit that they just hadn't been grasping Flutters' vision. The ending felt a bit rushed.

13. A Flurry of Emotions - This and "Celestial Advice" were fine. They just didn't do as much for me as the others.

*TPP: 🍐 Wow. What a great episode...finally, the story of their parents...*sniff* *tear-flick*  "Bright Mac, Bright Mac--wherefore art thou Bright Mac?!"

I mean, of course I still wanna know how they died, but I figured we wouldn't learn that. Least not yet. But that was so romantic. ;3; Pear's song is beautiful. And she was really pretty (Granny Smith too, though I maintain her name should have been Annie Smith before she became a grandma. That would've been a clever apple name pun.) Speaking of which, Grand-Pear of course sounds like the French word for grandfather, only...what a weird name to give a colt? xD 

I guess...they're still Apples to the core, but pears as well. 

I also really liked Burnt Oak. 
But "Chiffon Swirl" sure sounds like a baker-type name to me, Mrs. Cake. ;p Pretty one, too. (I liked how she was all, "Oh I see you're 'busy...'" *wink-nudge* LOL) 
Plus, Mayor Mare didn't always have white hair. xD Oh, and Applebloom sure took after her dad, physically. :D

NEW Favorite Characters: 1) Inky Rose 2) Lily Lace 3) Starstreak 4) Pear Butter 5) Windy Whistles 6) Bright Mac 7) Bow Hothoof 8) Strawberry Sunrise // 9) Coconut Cream (pastel filly, not blind-bag mare; maybe her relative?)

And now to look forward to the resumption of the season...er, sometime or other...as well as GAME OF PONES' return two days before me birfdee, eeeeeee......!!!! x~3 #GameOfPones #MyLittleThrony What a month. *w* Apparently the next pony ep features the return of Coloratura, so YAAYYY (lots of new faves getting introduced or coming back, I love it! Let's have more Treehugger & everypony else in that pic!!)

EDIT! Best new characters from remainder of Season 7:

Mistmane
Somnambula
Rockhoof
Flash Magnus
Mage Meadowbrook
Stygian
Pharynx

From the movie: I like all of the main new characters, but particularly Skystar (& the other seaponies/hippogriffs), and then Tempest Shadow.
Been tracking all the favorite comic ones in here. (here)

FAVE Equestria Girls:

Sunset Shimmer
Adagio
Aria
Lemon Zest
Sugarcoat
Sour-Sweet
Principal Cinch
Gloriosa Daisy
Timber Spruce
Juniper Montage
(also like Sonata, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, etc.)

https://www.pinterest.com/tequilamocknjay/my-pony-pals/

MLP Merch signature widget doohickey

[url=https://data.mlpmerch.com/profile/1018/][img]https://data.mlpmerch.com/signature/1018/3221.png[/img][/url]

<a href="https://data.mlpmerch.com/profile/1018/"><img src="https://data.mlpmerch.com/signature/1018/3221.png" /></a>

...Well shit, will ya lookit that. Neither code appears to work. Right now, anyway. Quelle domage.

EDIT: 7/30/17: LPS wish/checklist links.

Wish ~ https://lpsmerch.com/wishlist/21/
Check ~ https://lpsmerch.com/checklist/21/

Pony ones...

Wish ~ https://data.mlpmerch.com/wishlist/1018/
Check ~ https://data.mlpmerch.com/checklist/1018/

----------

Super-favorite 2000s LPS (on LPS board): THIS PIN HERE
All fave 2000s LPS: DIS PIN
 (They added some more to G6 after I did this, so now there are several more on my wishlist...but this is still the bulk of 'em.)

Doubtlessly these will become outdated when at some point I no longer remember to add each new pony acquisition to them...;P 

---------- 

 4/15/24: Aside from the board, a couple of very important LPS links, yay. And a 3rd one. Although 'tis distressing that I can only zoom in and read the 1D files in the actual drive folder? Links should work precisely the same way and display the files perfectly, duh. The OneDrive superfolder links are in the "linkage" post of course, but this is, as Tigger would say, ridickerous. Self-note: Saved the text in the "qnacvh" notepad doc; the notebook pages are in Casey II. DISCOVERY: If you zoom in with the mouse's roller-ball, then it works...but WTAFH MICROSOFT, you shouldn't need to have or be using that kind of mouse, how utterly insane! ||| part of a flickr caption that had been linked on the board: " ***SEE COMMENT ON 2/13/24 MISCELLANYINSANEY ENTRY*** Oh yeah, and the pink seahorse in the old bathroom Dixie cups on my desk... BUT NOW I NEEDA TALK SUPERIOR 90S LPS... Oh man, I love LPS so much. My very favorites were the Beethoven's 2nd ones, a rectangular aquarium, a crystal-winged swan, a purple carrier with a multi-pup scene inside, and the ones I've still got: pin.it/7oESJpH And of course all the cute bowls/accessories, Pood and other aminals, etc. :'3 "

Imma Talk Pokemon! Gen 7! Whoo!

Time to add onto this! Favorites:

1. Bruxish
2. Litten
3. Oricorio (Pom-Pom, Sensu, Baile, & Pa'u)
4. Morelull
5. Shiinotic
6. Wimpod
7. Lycanroc (fave forme is Midday)
8. Xurkitree (Okay, now this one's clever. Berserk, circuitry, tree. Body of wires, fingers are exposed gold filaments, tail and toes have plugs, covered in bulbs, with a spiky light-up star thingy for a head. It's just...creative. And Christmasy. :D)
9. Pheromosa (ooooh, the smexy lissome Pokemon ;p)
10. Primarina
11. Type: Null
12. Brionne
13. Golisopod
14. Toucannon ("Follow your nose!")
15. Popplio
16. Minior
17. Wishiwashi
18. Charjabug
19. Silvally
20. Jangmo-o
21. Crabrawler
22. Comfey
23. Cosmog
24. Bounsweet
25. Palossand
26. Sandygast
27. Tapu Fini (Lele reminds me a bit of Pinkie Pie xD)
28. Lunala
29. Nihilego (jellyfish-like, again)

OH, and of course the Alolan forms of Ninetales, Vulpix, Dugtrio, Exeggutor, Muk, Grimer, Sandshrew, Sandslash, Meowth, & Raichu! Those are great.

Other standouts:

Mareanie and Toxapex are...interesting...like some kind of sea star/urchin combo?? With a bit of jellyfish at first?? Hm.
Lurantis, the orchid mantis.
Dewpider (& Araquanid): Bubble helmet! And also, I WILL NEVER be able to pronounce this one without imitating Lump Maroon ("DEWPIDUURRRRRRR!!!")
Mudsdale
Crabominable is a Yeti crab!! :D xD
Salazzle--um, wow. xD;
Kartana: Whoo, origami! (And also chopsticks, and takeout boxes and menus?! :-o)
Celesteela: Okay, new Pokename to associate with Celestia over Cresselia. And what a bizarre design.
Buzzwole: Sheeeet, dat skeeter be swole AF!! Larry the Lobster+Crimson Chin+mosquito=Buzzwole. "Of all my muscles...my brain is one of them!"
Guzzlord & Necrozma are friggin' scary (& the former gross as well. xD)
Oranguru reminds me of the live-action (or, well, CG) King Louie.

The entry from 7/5/16 is the one where I attempted to rank 252 favorite Pokes prior to the full release of G7 (so there are now, total, as of this moment, 802.) Being able to narrow it down to <300 is quite the achievement, trust me.

Munna's a cute one too...kinda reminds me of a piggy bank, Easter egg, and pink version of a Parcheesi elephant smashed together. xD But, not nearly as much as Phanpy resembles the Parcheesi elephants!! ;-3

And then for MLP: FiM...

Best S5/6 eps:

• Make New Friends But Keep Discord (TREEHUGGER!!)
• The Mane Attraction (COLORATURA, AKA RA-RA!)
• Hearthbreakers (LIMESTONE PIE!)
• Amending Fences (LEMON HEARTS!)
• Canterlot Boutique (SASSY SADDLES! Love seeing her turn up anytime! And that goth pony...oh lordy, so many minor/bg characters I had to note in the LJ! [6/25/16])
• The Saddle Row Review (The 80s dancers...! xD)
• Top Bolt (Vapor Trail!)
• Viva Las Pegasus ("Siegfried & Roy"......XD)
• A Hearth's Warming Tail (Professor Flintheart, aka Snape-pony!)
• The Times They Are a Changeling
• The Cutie Map
• The Cutie Re-Mark
• To Where and Back Again
• Tanks for the Memories
• On Your Marks
• Scare Master
• The Crystalling
• Gauntlet of Fire
• Every Little Thing She Does
• Princess Spike
• The Fault in Our Cutie Marks

Weaker S5/6 eps (ones I had the most issues/difficulty with--many others were kinda eh/mediocre/somewhere-in-the-middle):

• Spice Up Your Life
• The Cart Before the Ponies
• Crusaders of the Lost Mark
• The Gift of the Maud Pie (Maud rules, but they only did half the "Magi" story! Wtf??)
• Stranger Than Fan Fiction
• Applejack's "Day Off"

~*~*~*

EDIT: Ahhh, here we go at last...a ginormo banner/background/collage thingy of all my favorite Pokémon and then some! But just a few; all'd be imposhibru. ;b (And until they release yet another frickin' generation in a few years?? )

(Had to re-upload with a little Houndour sneaked in there 'cause like, what in HELL was I doing...?!?! Then again...past a certain point I don't even know what's in there exactly, and the "Fave Pokemon By Type" entry is somewhat more relevant/searchable...) 

^-^  

*~*

pwush 

MLPMerch.com

Holy shit, I just found the most invaluable website--or, rather, I just realized how fully awesome and useful it is. Got my checklist going, plus the "wishlist" (for most-wanteds, unacquired blind-bag figures & brushables, "non-character-characters" to keep track of, & generally other fave pieces.)
And, of course, my pony board! /)^3^(\

My suggestions to the site owners would be: a) If possible, let users switch their lists between the default release-date order and a custom most-to-least-favorite order. b) Have the lists display in many columns, not just two (utilize as much of the screen as possible, reduce the scrolling.)

"Make New Friends But Keep Discord"

Another definite new favorite episode of the season so far! Very weird, and I'd expect no less from a Discord-centric one. Reading the description, I thought, "How interesting it'll be if this is a male friend of whom Discord is jealous..." xD But needless to say, this is going to fuel Fluttercord shipping regardless. A new male friend would've perhaps been too blatant...
          I've got to say, there are a lot of common MLP ships with some merit. I mean, Fluttercord's beyond obvious now, though I had also enjoyed the thought of Dislestia or "Discord Pie." Or him with any of the mane six, really. Then you've got Fluttermac, which hypothetically makes a lot of sense, despite us seeing extremely little interaction between those two. But Big Mac could also still wind up pairing with Cheerilee, or any of the mane six aside from Applejack (you just don't wanna go on that adventure. Not with these ponies.) There are few for which you can derive much actual support from the show, of course. The only canon couples are...well, the few who actually are! Parents, mostly. But, enough about that stuff; back to the episode.

Okay, first of all: NEW FAVORITE CHARACTER. Treehugger is amazing. I love her tomato-colored dreadlocked/corded hair, and her epic eyebrows and voice and the things she says. I always love the "hippie-dippie" characters (just started watching Grace & Frankie on Netflix, and Frankie's the best! XD) Absolutely, Treehugger & Maud & Flax Seed & the other hippie ponies from the comics need to be BFFs. Treesie and Maud are both so eminently chillaxed. And speaking of Maud, she attended the gala this year! In a sparkly blue dress! Wondrousness!! 8DDD

So Treehugger's an earth pony with a cutie mark that looked like a heart balloon, or a heart on a stick or something? I dunno, I felt as if that could've been a little better thought-out. Doesn't have to be a tie-dyed peace sign with daisies around it or anything, but it looked a tad bit uninspired for such an awesometastic pone. But then, she'd probably be all cool about the whole thing and feel cosmically blessed by any cutie mark that turned up, interpreting it as being one way or another fully in tune with her aura and life force. -u-

Interesting how Discord brought the Smooze back--but instead of being a many-faced ocean of purple goo under the command of a witchy trio, it seems he summoned a smaller quantity of green JELL-O (like B.O.B., or the jelly monster from the beginning of Monsters, Inc.) with a mouth. Plus a tophat, bow tie, and dumb but lovable personality. Smoozie is still capable of consuming anything/everything/anypony/anyone, but also easily distracted by disco balls, and placated by Treehugger's patented, harmonic, mellowing, lip-rippling Sonic Bliss(R). 
Unnnhhhhhh, I wanna see Treehugger, Treeflower, Candy Warren, "Beret Girl," Sunshine, etc., get together for a love-in...8)

That was a nice view of Discord's house and home dimension. He's got a cool floor-ceiling and dish-dirtying detergent. And there are flying badgers there, apparently.
For a few minutes there I thought he might be about to force poor Post Haste to be his plus-one! For sure he's made big strides, but is still his old self; FULL reform may be too much to ask, and where's the fun in that, anyhow? ;]

Flutters used "anypony" in reference to that teacup-munching Draconequus--curious. Typically the word is only applied to ponies. :p Maybe they're such close chums now that she's starting to think of him as one.
    Must be pretty creepy to have him slither out from under your blanket in the middle of the night and demand all up in your face to know where Twilight is.

So fittingly, Twilight's graduated from Assistant Hoofshaker to Assistant Gala Planner/Organizer. (Yet Celestia still finds jokes about her flying skills amusing. x3) She really has a great time at these unconventional Gross Gruesome Galas, man. This one was even funner than the last, what with that portal to another dimension of strange 'live-action' sock puppet beings opening up, and a guest nearly getting tossed through it and all. The 'Zoe Trent' in Lestie's voice becomes more noticeable when she gets all excited.
And where the hay was Luna?

There was no focus on everypony's gala dresses and manestyles this year, so you had to purposely look at them, but once again they all looked fab...especially Pinkie! And Flutters' hair, with the Leia bun...and Dash, AJ, Rarity (her hairdo was swell)...and the Crusaders! Applebloom's peach-colored dress! Scoots! Twi! Celestia! 8D (Plus camera-shaking, fourth-wall-shattering Pinkie in the beginning! XD)

The conflict resolution and Discord's realization of the moral was quick, sensible, and effective. Nice indignant Flutterrage.

"You're the most basic of jokes." There are numerous Best Ponies, and Maud Pie is among them. A regular comedienne, she be.
Other favorite lines/notable moments:
The "two cakes" story.
"Blessing." "I meet a lot of different creatures--each one of them perfect and unique." (Wait, Discord & 'Treesie' have really met before?! And she didn't specifically remember him...? Or what? Does this relate at all to the comic revealing Discord's ONE other friend from the past? The "Friends Forever" one where he takes the Crusaders time-traveling?!)
"I need, like, a few minutes to clear out my chakras before I can hug you from a place of authenticity."
Nude Rarity at the gala--oh, the equinity!! Luckily it would seem that she managed to retrieve her outfit from Discord's vacuum.

-"Tough crowd"=Rodney Dangerfield impression! Same as Genie's in Aladdin when he says he can't believe he's losing to a rug. And his little video-game-style question mark announcing his teleported arrival.
-Only at Sugar Cube Corner is "most delicious" the LEAST delicious rank on the deliciousness scale!!
-Noticed that they appear to have a problem animating Pegasus wings when the ponies are clothed. The wings often wind up placed too far forward, despite the convenient holes that should eliminate that. It was especially obvious on one shot of Twilight hovering--her wings were literally attached at her shoulders.
-Cute how the Crusaders were so pumped for their first "best night ever!" (Like, "Yeah, that's what they said the last time...!!") Applejack's reaction to seeing her little sis in her dress was sweet. She cries on the outside too, sometimes--and Dash's tail pays for it! (I wonder what card game they were playing...)
-Lyrica Lilac spotted (the one who passed out), but no Purple Wave.


To conclude, a very non-basic joke:

What's the difference between a dirty bus stop and a lobster with breast implants?

One is a crusty bus station, and the other is a busty crustacean.

What's the difference between a crusty bus station and a mid-flight pause to clean off one's avian self?

One is a dirty bus stop, and the other is a birdie dust stop.

Tanks For the Memories

AKA, "Dash experiences DABDA" (the Kübler-Ross model of the five stages of grief/loss--denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.)


Okay, another new favorite episode of pony.

-REFERENCES, REFERENCES! We had that distinctly Abbott-&-Costello-y bit about Clear Skies, Open Skies, Everywhere, & Fluffy Clouds (cool designs & voices for those characters, too)...Dash's Grinchy grin when she gets the wonderful, awful idea to stop winter from coming...and of COURSE, "Winter is coming." Well played, Hasbro. Way to reference GoT in a manner that should (hopefully?) sail right over the heads of any kiddies who might happen to be watching. ;-] I had said that, too, during the song--"Face facts, Dash. Winter is coming!" Just couldn't believe they did it.
-We learn more about how the change of seasons works in Equestria (from autumn to winter, anyway.) The weather is all on us Pegasi. B-) Maybe more of us should have names without any form of "sky" or "cloud" in them...
-WHAT AN EMOTIONAL EPISODE. Most of them end on an upbeat, comedic note, but this one was saddish. At first Dash just seems bound and determined to deny the obvious because she's looking forward to doing all kinds of awesomely-fun, primo wintertime stuff with Tank. But her concern for him is touching, and this was supposed to be their first winter together. Suddenly she learns that they'll never be able to enjoy her favorite season (good choice there, btw) together because he's got to go bury himself underground, and they'll be separated for months. She feels kind of betrayed, even though she knows it's not his choice to burrow in the dirt and leave her for a little while. And she thinks preventing winter will be doing him a favor. Now that is loyalty--trying to prevent the seasons from changing for your friend's sake. 8'-| Her seemingly infinite waterworks aren't too far off of what mine'd be, faced with the prospect of not seeing one of my woof-woofs for a whole season. At least in her case, Tank knows what's happening and isn't being left somewhere without understanding why. It's his instinct, and he can't ignore it. For a moment I wondered whether RD would pull a Sandy Cheeks and try to cram in as much makeshift winter fun as possible before Tank headed off.
-Rainbow Dash solo. YES. And it was beautiful. ;u; Not another "Awesome As I Wanna Be" sort of tune, although I do love that one.
-"DO I LOOK ANGRY?!?" *rageface* >8-( "No, no, of course not, not at all, Dashie!" *sweatdrop* ^.^; XD *squiggey Applejack lieface*
-"You too?!" "Nope, I'm good." "I'm mostly sad because you're not sad!" "Me?! What about Applejack?!" "APPLEJACK CRIES ON THE INSIDE, TWILIGHT!" "It's true."
-"You're using the word! Oh! She's using the word!" ^w^
-Tank's PJs and slippers, omfg. Gotta get Ulla some slippers made in my image. Plus some ingenious flight gear.
-CLOUD WALL. PINKIE PIE WALKED THROUGH DASH'S BEDROOM WALL. BROKE RIGHT THROUGH IT. While Dash was feeling so "whatever." Time to get a second, non-hibernatory pet! That scene was so good. Dash's wailing sobs would make a good .gif to express feels of extreme sorrow. I liked how Twilight pushed Applejack forward like, "Go on, Honesty." AJ clearly felt awkward. xD But as soon as Fluttershy joins in the weeping, Pinkie and Rarity can't help topping off the heap of bawling equine emotional wrecks. Then when Dashie says, "Oh, Tank...I'm sure gonna miss you," and they lean their heads together...MANLY TEARS, THEY HAVE BEEN SHED. *,-,*
-Disguising yourself as an employee and causing a chaotic catastrophe--another Lucyesque move, Dash. I applaud you. And another "What have I done?!" moment for you. However, even if you were willing to try and use that arduous method to bring about winter every year, I'm not sure you'd be able to recreate that precise series of events.
And yes, winter=water.
-Question: They do have a legit veterinarian in Ponyville, right? I mean, Fluttershy is more of a holistic animal nurturer/whisperer/daycare-type-person than anything...she isn't a licensed vet...and Spike may be an expert on BEING *a* reptile (same family, yes; very different genera & species), but...geez guys, find an actual vet. (And I could hear the Pinkie Pie in Flutters' voice on the "teensie-eentsie-weentsie" line. ;)
-Believe I spied Sprinkle Medley, Sunshower Raindrops, & possibly Strawberry Sunrise among the backgrounders.

ETA: Some reactions to the midway-point of GoT, Season 5: "Kill the Boy"...ooh, even the episode titles giva ya the chills!

Whole fam seems to agree: Daenerys>Team Stannis>Boltons >P< BLEHCK!! Especially on Ramsay, one of the most despicable sleazebag creeps right along with the late Joffrey...although the "How can you tell she's pregnant? How did you find it?" was pretty funny.
Stannis scored a couple points in my book with that "fewer" (he literally echoed me.) And "Keep reading" was good advice to Sam (<3!)  But still: GO DANY GO. <333 "If I give everyone what they deserve, I'll have no one left to rule." XD Good point. Best line!! Or one of 'em. Tyrion can always compete. (Damn, those two should be unbeatable once teamed...) 
Hoo, boy, look what's a-comin'. Stannis vs. Roose, a Meereenese wedding, Brienne & Sansa (hopefully--and also maybe some Pod-training!) 8-O
The show will go on forever at this rate, though, and I think we're already halfway through S5...XD What will come first, book #6 or Season 6?!? I keep waiting for the major, major stuff from book 5, and now we finally got Tyrion on a boat with the Stone Men attacking (the whole boat sequence in the book is rather lengthy, and involves his dwarf semi-girlfriend...is THAT coming?) What happens to Cersei should be as satisfying to watch as it was to read. But man, ever since Brienne Vs. Sandor, it's felt almost like anything goes! Because there are still two unfinished/unpublished books of source material, even the readers are liable to be surprised at any moment. I hope Varys shows up with Dany soon, because he rocks (and seems like a more fun traveling companion than Jorah. No offense, Mormont. I still like ya.) D-'8 at the ending, as usual...
Shippin' Missandei & Grey Worm! ^u^
Love Davos & Shireen together, awwww...hehee. Her mum don't know nothin' 'bout her own daughter. ;p

Cutie Map: Parts 1 & 2

Well, now that I've got this...place...to save this kinda junk...the Season 5 premiere of FiM was exceptional!! (And GoT returns in two days!! Gaaaahhhhh, my Throny-Brony tinglies are being thrown into maximum overdrive!) Anyhoo. Yeah, that was a mature two-parter; I feel as if adults would get more out of it than kids. The theme was an amalgam of every dystopian tale you've ever been made to read in middle or high school, plus some you may have read voluntarily. "Someone's been reading Ayn Rand," I had to think.

So, Twilight's new home (supposedly we're getting an emotional goodbye episode to the old treehouse library with the secret science lab underneath?? Oh, maaaan!!)...the magical map...hope Spike didn't actually kill Pinkie's family by crushing their miniature representatives. (Because what if the map is like the Hunger Gamemakers' virtual arena models, and Twilight can use it to control the entire country...?! Aiight, I needa get THG off the brain for like, five minutes. Can I do that? I have no idea.) The map is clearly possessed of a mind/magic of its own, though, too, so I don't know how much control Twilight will really have.
Sooo, Spike's spending guy-time with Big Mac now? How cute. xD

"Maybe it's just your new home, and there ain't nothin' more to it than that!" Yeah, I love how easily AJ can accept being plopped into a new home--or rather, a FRIEND being plopped. 'Magine her reaction to getting plucked from Sweet Apple Acres!

And then...road trip time! To Creepyville! Thanks a lot, Map...but at least you don't chant your name 14 times before sending us off to some lame dump? (I can appreciate Dashie's constant disappointment over the lack of anything interesting or exciting.) That is, until Pinkie Pie evolved into Donphan and used Rollout; it was super-effective!!

Now, whether it's fruit bats, or Discord, or a peacefully brainwashed village...Fluttershy always seems to be the odd one out with her opinions. Because she wants to be so very understanding and sensitive and accepting and welcoming toward everyone--sometimes inordinately so. But at least she's no longer afraid to share her viewpoints, whether she's agreeing with everypony else or not.
But straight away, Pinkie gets a gut sense of distrust toward the whole seemingly normal, quaint town because all those giant grins and plastered smiles feel unnatural and off-putting to her--the queen of happification. The residents are walking around acting more like robots than ordinary ponies. Pinks be like, "Don't'cha be starin' at my flank, creeper! I'm-a quote Hamlet at y'all freaky faces!" Gotta love her expressions of disapproval. Logical Twilight notes the most obvious sign of the place's unusual nature: Everypony's got an equal sign for a cutie mark. And the same exact equal sign, no less.

Starlight Glimmer's hair DOES resemble Aria Blaze's, but I assume that if the Equestria Girls characters are going to show up in the series, then the Dazzlings...well, actually, would they still be sirens now? Or just turn into normal ponies? Oh, the ponderances! Answer them, show! I think I'm leaning towards them being ponies--but they regain their musical abilities on a normal level (i.e., good singers who don't cast evil spells by singing.) Duuuurrrr, where was I...? Oh, right. Hasbro, if you ever need any entry-level studio folk with Media/Film degrees, PLEASE do hit me up. It'd be a dream come true.

Yes, I greatly like the way they melded all of their inspirations into one--the town, the song, the individual characters that we meet...all very effective. I mean, I just recently saw The Giver, which was excellent. (Not to mention how I couldn't help noticing that Meryl's Chief Elder and Julianne's Coin could be sisters...'specially with the severe-looking sheets of possumy-grey hair...xD)
Sugar Belle with what I'll bet are probably the worst muffins in Equestria (talk about your baked bads!)--soon as she told them to meet her inside, it was like, "OOH, SHE A REBEL, HUR-HURR." 
I like the teal Pegasus' design. (And Sugar Belle's--but holy wtf, she looked NOTHING like her former self while de-marked. I didn't even recognize her.) Party Favor & Double Diamond are cute, too. I absolutely loved "In Our Town." (Which is a nameless town, apparently. Well, that seems rather fitting. The residents distinguish themselves in nothing BUT name, and if Starlight took that one step further, you'd HAVE Anthem!) Anyway--musical tours, whoo!! The lyrics are awesome. I particularly liked the anti-competition verse sung to Rainbow, as if they know her (well, by now everypony in Equestria SHOULD know her...and the rest...but how much of the outside world are these residents ever allowed to glimpse?) "You can't have a nightmare if you never dream."

"When the rest of Equestria sees that a princess gave up her cutie mark to join us, they'll finally understand what we're trying to accomplish." ._. You scare me, lady. Is she for real?! "WE ARE BORG. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE." Free-thinking, individuality, and uniqueness baaaaaad...you must become exactly like every one of us, or we can never be friends...

The way Starlight forced the one mare's mane into the standard braided pigtails...that was like whoa. 
And also, my obsession compels me to view her and the town as sort of the MLP counterpart of Coin and District 13, although Maud Pie bears a greater physical resemblance. xD Oh, Maud, how I adore you. You understand the obsessive. :'} I mean, even old Alma's not that whack, but just the idea of non-regulation clothes/hairstyles. (Although the town and its female residents do also call D12 to mind somewhat, especially with that common hairstyle.)

"We have...cloaks. And...muffins." Oy. XD Loved the dialog outside the (sorry excuse for a) bakery. "That and two bits'll getcha a cup of cider." My dad uses that old coffee line. And Pinkie's "What? I'm hungreeeee!" *slumps onto table, staring at Twilie* Adorable!
"I think we're being watched." "What makes you say that?!"
"I've accidentally eaten cardboard tastier than that!"
In the basement, the trio starts advancing on the mane six, trying to fake us into thinking they're either going to break into a malevolent "B-Movie Show"-esque song or steal their cutie marks right then and there. But no--they just want to talk about how dream of having theirs back, but don't dare to actually even request it. Nope, the actual trap is later, and (GODDAMMIT, PINKIE) far from being a glorious experience, the Cutie-Unmarking actually looks to be a rather miserable, painful process. Obviously they all succumb to Starlight's enforced lifestyle eventually, but thank Celestia (literally, I suppose) that our heroines are here to save them all from continued BS! 'Cause it starts working pretty quickly. Their colors become subdued, Rarity thinks hideous drapes are nice, Pinkie loses enthusiasm for fun, and so forth. 
"Meh, sorta...more pleasant than fun, I guess..."

"Oh, even tweets don't make sense anymore!" But Fluttershy, most never did!

Oh, the suspense when poor "easiest convert" Flutters was put on the spot!! And the constant auditory indoctrination/propaganda over the loudspeakers was great.
"...all that our little village has to offer." ...which ain't much! Unless you like revolting muffins, burlap cloaks, and bare, primitive cottages!

"Everypony is equal--but some ponies are more equal than others."
Turns out, of course, that Madame Dictator's conformist bullcrap rules don't apply to her. That is some powerful-ass magic she's got, to literally be able to steal one's identity and force them to live under false harmony. I mean, when you can take away Applejack's ability to countryism...! People are getting both "Communist" and "Nazi" from Starlight (not to mention cult leader), and frankly, they just bent the spectral line so that both extreme ends met and became one.

I'm gonna hazard a guess here that Starlight's never been appreciated for who she is, so she worked at developing magic that would permit her to become a leader to those she could convince of her peace-through-sameness philosophy.

Absolutely love the balloon-animal cutie mark/talent/binoculars/bridge. And the chess mark, and a few others in the vault (lollies! Puppy in a party hat!) Anyways...'kay now, I can only assume that we haven't seen the last of Starlight. Villains rarely make singular appearances, and thus far we have a nice roster going on the League of the Reformed...will she join? Will Twi's wise words get to her at all and start working their magic? She gon' tink 'bout it? And the most obvious question--where the hay'd she go? They didn't even try to follow her through the cave system, so, guess we'll just have to find out somewhere down the line. Even if it's in a comic.

-Pulsating cutie marks; "My cutie-butt-sense is tingling!" xD Well, that oughta be useful. And potentially annoying. AND WAS THAT DIAMOND MINT AT THE END, WTH, SHE MOVED INTO THAT STILL-NAMELESS TOWN?? ...Aiight, whatever...time for some "Friendship Is Witchcraft," "The Mentally Advanced Series," "Rainbow Dash Presents," & .MOV series, because they are all impossibly hysterically hilarious. 

Eta: Just saw Feeling Pinkie Keen yet again, and thought this:

Spike: Can you DO that? Can you explode twice?
Primrose: NO.
Katniss: Mother of fuck, the only reason I volunteered and started up this whole godforsaken mess in the first place was to protect that little shit-luck charm. x____x
;0;