The Herd

[Silverblade5 he/him]

Season 6 started?!

Gah! I'm working for the next few days...might not get a chance to see it. : (

Watch it on dailymotion.

[Kobold King he/him]

 HOLY STORMS I AM A HAPPY KOBOLD RIGHT NOW!

 

Starlight Glimmer as the functioning protagonist with Spike as her foil! I knew this would make a great character pairing! I knew it! And it exceeded all my hopes and dreams. Spike was more mature about the whole situation than I thought he could be, soaring as a character like almost never before. For the first time he actually acted in an almost mentorly role, and by Celestia did it work.

 

Sunburst made for a great addition to the male characters of the show. I loved him right off the bat; he was adorable and embarrassed and awkward, and I sympathized with him wholeheartedly. I doubt S6 will produce a ship more imminently shippable than Starburst... but the season's still young!

 

Flurry Heart was the cutest cataclysm I have ever witnessed. I can sympathize with those who found her annoying--I dislike Baby Cakes for similar reasons--but personally I loved having her onscreen. The moment when she destroyed the Crystal Heart was a big shock for me, and again, while I sympathize with those who disapprove of the nerfing of ancient relics, I felt it only enhanced the scale and epicness of the premiere.

 

...In concept I still don't entirely approve of her being an alicorn. It ruins the beautiful harmony of having four alicorns representing each of the classical elements of love, and it takes something away from Twilight's achievement. But hey, when I want brilliant and perfectly symmetrical magic systems I read Brandon Sanderson novels. I'm in this fandom for the cute ponies, and Flurry Heart delivered on that front.

 

All in all: this is my third favorite premiere, narrowly behind Return of Harmony and The Cutie Map. I want to watch Flurry Heart grow up. I want to watch Starlight Glimmer learn a plethora of friendship lessons with her new friends in Ponyville. I want to watch Shining Armor slowly lose his sanity onscreen from months without sleep.

 

I am hyped to begin Season 6.

[Kaymyth she/her]

I'm just gonna leave this thing that hit my Facebook feed right here...

 

 

 

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

HOLY STORMS I AM A HAPPY KOBOLD RIGHT NOW!

Starlight Glimmer as the functioning protagonist with Spike as her foil! I knew this would make a great character pairing! I knew it! And it exceeded all my hopes and dreams. Spike was more mature about the whole situation than I thought he could be, soaring as a character like almost never before. For the first time he actually acted in an almost mentorly role, and by Celestia did it work.

Sunburst made for a great addition to the male characters of the show. I loved him right off the bat; he was adorable and embarrassed and awkward, and I sympathized with him wholeheartedly. I doubt S6 will produce a ship more imminently shippable than Starburst... but the season's still young!

Flurry Heart was the cutest cataclysm I have ever witnessed. I can sympathize with those who found her annoying--I dislike Baby Cakes for similar reasons--but personally I loved having her onscreen. The moment when she destroyed the Crystal Heart was a big shock for me, and again, while I sympathize with those who disapprove of the nerfing of ancient relics, I felt it only enhanced the scale and epicness of the premiere.

...In concept I still don't entirely approve of her being an alicorn. It ruins the beautiful harmony of having four alicorns representing each of the classical elements of love, and it takes something away from Twilight's achievement. But hey, when I want brilliant and perfectly symmetrical magic systems I read Brandon Sanderson novels. I'm in this fandom for the cute ponies, and Flurry Heart delivered on that front.

All in all: this is my third favorite premiere, narrowly behind Return of Harmony and The Cutie Map. I want to watch Flurry Heart grow up. I want to watch Starlight Glimmer learn a plethora of friendship lessons with her new friends in Ponyville. I want to watch Shining Armor slowly lose his sanity onscreen from months without sleep.

I am hyped to begin Season 6.

I finally found a place to watch the episode, so I can risk opening spoilers again!

There were so many wonderful little moments in this episode, from the rampant Rarijack Shipping, to Celestia's irritating smugness when Sunburst showed up. Flurry's shehanaigans and night light and velvet speaking. But my favorite part of the episode was spike. He was perfect the entire time. He was a genuine support role, both to Starlight and to Twilight, rather than the butt monkey.

Also, I'm incredibly excited about a baby being born in the empire of love. According to classical mythology, changelings would replace newbotns with their own young, and feed off thr love of the parents. I doubt the show will go this route, but there's so many possibilities!

Though I don't like the alicorn birth part.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

would anybody be willing to proofread/preread/edit/whatever a Short fic I wrote? It's still a very rough draft.

[Kobold King he/him]

would anybody be willing to proofread/preread/edit/whatever a Short fic I wrote? It's still a very rough draft.

 

 

I could take a look at it.

[Kaymyth she/her]

would anybody be willing to proofread/preread/edit/whatever a Short fic I wrote? It's still a very rough draft.

 

Oo!  Oo!  Pick me!

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

I could take a look at it.

Oo!  Oo!  Pick me!

 

Thank you both.

[Quiver he/him]

I've been busy lately. Urgh.

 

So, while I await season six... I figured I'd post some reviews of MLP Fanfics here.

(Speaking of, I really need to get back on FiMFiction. I have a Bon Bon/Octavia story I really want to write...)

So.. yeah. Here's a review of Burning Siren's, a fic I rather liked. 

 

 Exiled to our world by Starswirl the Bearded, the Dazzlings have been searching for a way to get home. Centuries of searching, which have turned up nothing. Their journey brings them to a small town during the middle-ages, where a display of their powers leads to them being accused of witchcraft. And in the Middle-Ages, the answer to witchcraft? Is to burn them...

The Dazzling's were an unexpected hit in Rainbow Rocks, helping propell that film's success and making the trio instant fan favorites. They were popular enough that they were included in the Fiendship is Magic comic, which promised to detail their history... and instead gave us one of the worst comic's of the MLP line. I mention this because, by focusing on the Dazzling's past, Lonarion invites comparisons between their story and the comic.
 

So, to get this out of the way; I much prefer this storys take on the concept. It offer's a wider range of story-telling possibilities, some of which are hinted at in the story itself. We hear a little about the Siren's previous destinations - like Nürnberg- and the story end's with the wide open canvas of them going anywhere.  Frankly, I'd love it if this became a series of stories, each set in different time periods with the Dazzling's looking for a way home, or even just taking in the festivals, or foods, or whatever. Almost like an Assassin's Creed-style take on the history of the Equestria Girls Universe... which leaves the possibility open to explore very interesting concepts. There's a hint of that in this story with the cameo of a human Clover.

 

The story itself is... okay. Personally, I feel like it fall's a little short of the possibiity promised in the concept but then, it's dealing with a very specific event ("The Siren's are burned as witches") rather than a general "Dazzlings through history" idea. It clips along at a brisk pace, and set's up the conflict quickly. It is a little convenient that, of all the bars they go into, they pick the one that has a deaf man who can resist them, but it isn't an especially egregious one. furthermore, it allows Adagio to show off why she is the leader of the team by organizing a jailbreak for the trio.
 

The second half of the story is a little weaker, as it feel's somewhat repetitive; the Siren's evade the law, Sonata get's arrested, they get her loose. This is the part which strains disbelief a little... but I feel it does work with the characterisation Lonarion provides. Besides which, the two responsible for the back half of the plot are Aria and Sonata and, well...

The prose itself is functional. I thought it was a little dry in the begining -particularly where Aria is concerned- but it got better as the story went on. If I have a complaint, it's that I feel it perhaps could have been streamlined a little... but when it needs to pack a punch, as it does during the Sonata-Aria toy sequence, it lands it square in the feels.  However... the prose and narration isn't the main draw here; for me, the main attraction of this fic, and the thing it succeeds on the merit's of, is it's characterization.

 

Among the problems of Fiendship is Magic, one of them was the fact that the bright, vibrant characters of the movie were present in name only. Not only were their personalities not really reflected in the comic, we didn't get any background on the Siren's themselves, before their invasion of Equestria. Burning Siren's addresses both of these.

 

The story begins by focusing on Aria, which I felt was a good decision. Of the three, Aria is probably the closest to a blank slate; her only real moment's in the film involved her dismissing Sonata and a Starscream attempt which Adagio quickly stomped down on. As a result, Aria is the kind of person a writer can take in almost any direction and still be largely in canon.

 

And at first, I have to say- Lonarion disappointed me. Aria's narration felt very dry and detached, not really adding very much of herself to things... honestly, I found it difficult to figure out exactly what Aria's personality was in the first half.

 

The second half, however, underscores the reason for it. Sonata herself point's out that Aria is unnaturally apathetic to the world around her; that -while the Dazzlings may hate Earthquestria- there is still stuff there that Sonata and Adagio can enjoy, like festivals, food and fashion. Aria's response to it is very telling, as probably the biggest insight into her character:

 

 Aria shook her head and raised her voice. “No, Sonata. I can’t enjoy anything in this world. It’s not just bland; it’s also barbaric. I’ve never liked ponies, but at least they don’t burn other ponies, you know? But above all, what I really liked back at home was swimming and flying. And I can’t do that with this lame body,” she said, knocking her chest, before turning away. “I have nothing to care about here.”

 

 

Immediately afterwards, Aria risks their safety by needing to go outside and feed, which is when everything click's together:

Aria Blaze is an addict.

 

It make's a lot of sense with her characterization; she thinks about the dark hole in her stomach when she doesn't have her pendant, and about how empty it feel's when she has it. The whole plot is kicked off by her and Sonata disregarding Adagio's orders to stay, because Aria wanted to feed. With that realization, the emptiness of her earlier chapters makes a lot more sense.

 

The apathy is aided by the background we get for her; that, even amongst the Trio, she is an outsider, since she came from a different reef than them. It's an interesting idea, which doesn't get much exploration here. But, after this realization, Aria does become more dynamic as a character, joining Adagio in her rescue attempt, and with the trio deciding to do what she wants to do next.

As I said, Adagio has a chance to prove why she is the boss, with her cunning being responsible for... pretty much everything the Siren's manage to achieve. The fic does soften her character a little -at least in her attitude towards the other two- by expanding upon her guilt at being responsible for the Trio's banishment.
 

It isn't exactly an Adagio who I like- but it is one which work's for this story, explaining why she hasn't just abandoned the other two over the course of the centuries -and who goes back for Sonata when she has every reason to jump ship with Aria and get out of dodge.  the added back story element -of her becoming Sonata's mother-figure-by-proxy- adds to this explanation of her behavior towards the two.

But, to be frank, the shining jewel of characterisation in this story?

Yes, for realzies.

 

I have a very love-hate towards Sonata Dusk. I love her character in the movie; I hate how she is presented in the fandom, where her innocence and childishness is often used to justify her being the Siren who is "secretly good" or get's redeemed. Neither of those things happen here, and the way Lonarion write's Sonata might be my favorite take of her that I've seen.

 

This is a Sonata who is still childish and funny, a Sonata whose most valuable possession's are toys, and whose motivation's are child-like. Adagio and Aria needed their cloaks, so that's a good enough justification for her to go outside. This is a Sonata who wants the other Siren's to be happy, and who take's joy in very simple stuff, like bright lights, sounds and eating. It's a Sonata who is exceptionally child-like...

 

With a child-like vindictive streak. She see's a child playing with toy's, and she wants to steal them.

 

When she reached the bridge, she encountered a small white dog wandering by the river. She stopped. It was so cute that she got an urge to pet and hug it. After all, Aria wasn’t there to stop her and claim she was wasting time.

 

Simultaneously, she got an urge to grab the dog by a leg and suspend it over the water, threatening to drop it, just to see its reaction. Wouldn’t that be fun? After all, Adagio wasn’t there to stop her and complain that she could get them in trouble.

 

One of the most effective juxtapositions in the entire story, it shows that yes, Sonata might be an idiot, and yes, Sonata is "innocent"- but innocent does not mean good, and she has roughly the same morality as a young child (which is to say, none). In fact, the last villainous act of the story is her suggestion, and her reaction to getting the captain giving them passage killed is to feel "warm inside" because Adagio and Aria approve of it.

In fact, this is a running theme with the Trio. They are, very distinctly, not human, and could care less about the people around them. The bond between the Siren's themselves is palpable; whenever Adagio and Aria risk their lives by going back for Sonata, or when Adagio apologizes for what she's done:

 

“Not about the cards,” Adagio explained. “What I mean is, we've spent all the time we've been here looking for a way back, mostly because that’s what I wanted. I felt I had to make up for bringing us here. As you said, it’s probably futile. It’s time we do things you two want to do.”

 

 

it is elevated to the point of heartwarming. But then we immediately see them charm people - or abandon innocent women who will be the next witches to the stake - or want to hurt a kid for tattling on them... and we are reminded that these three are not good people.

It's a strong story which can keep the protagonists sympathetic and complete and utter monsters, and the characterization here really does elevate the piece. The prose is fine -not outstanding nor terrible- and while the plot is okay, it can be a little rickety... but this is mostly a character piece about the three Sirens in a terrible situation, and it pull's that part off perfectly.  This is a cut above Fiendship is Magic #3, and I hope we get more stories with this concept.

 

[Silverblade5 he/him]

For some reason, something I really want to see is Twilight's reaction when learning about our history, particularly the 1900s.

[Comatose he/him]

Potential S6 Spoilers:

 

Am I the only one hoping for some sort of "scholarly show-off" episode with Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst?  We haven't seen many characters who rival Twilight when it comes to scholarship and magic, aside from, perhaps, Moondancer on the scholarship point.  Starlight's magical knowledge and skill has been shown to rival Twilight's on multiple occasions, and Sunburst's scholarship seems to surpass them both even if his magical skills do not.  

 

For overall reactions to the episode, I liked it for the most part, though I would have liked to see the regal sister's show off their magic more than just shooting beams at clouds.  I'm curious to see how Flurry Heart's birth fits in the grander mythology scheme, and am hoping her presence lets us learn more about alicorns.  

[Nashan’Elin he/him]

Hi, yeah

A couple friends of mine really like MLP, and so I decided to try watching the first episode. About two weeks later, (one of them was spring break), I've watched all the way up through the first two episodes of season six, only skipping a couple episodes. And it's really good

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Potential S6 Spoilers:

 

Am I the only one hoping for some sort of "scholarly show-off" episode with Twilight, Starlight, and Sunburst?  We haven't seen many characters who rival Twilight when it comes to scholarship and magic, aside from, perhaps, Moondancer on the scholarship point.  Starlight's magical knowledge and skill has been shown to rival Twilight's on multiple occasions, and Sunburst's scholarship seems to surpass them both even if his magical skills do not.  

 

For overall reactions to the episode, I liked it for the most part, though I would have liked to see the regal sister's show off their magic more than just shooting beams at clouds.  I'm curious to see how Flurry Heart's birth fits in the grander mythology scheme, and am hoping her presence lets us learn more about alicorns.  

 

Reply to potential S6. (Neither post contains more spoilers than the trailer had)

I don't really know how such a show-off episode would work, but it does sound interesting. Problem is, they're all too polite to insist that they're the best.

 

As to your reaction to the episode, I'm headcannoning that Flurry Heart doesn't fit in. She's a changeling princess who was switched at birth with Flurry, in order to sabotage the Empire.

[Silverblade5 he/him]

Hi, yeah

A couple friends of mine really like MLP, and so I decided to try watching the first episode. About two weeks later, (one of them was spring break), I've watched all the way up through the first two episodes of season six, only skipping a couple episodes. And it's really good

Good, let the pony flow through you...

[Quiver he/him]

So...does anyone else here read the comics?

Volume 9 was released this week. And I'm curious to see other people's reactions to the arc.

 

One thing I have to say: this arc added some interesting wrinkles to Cadance's character. I'm honestly not sure whether or not they will be explored later, but hey, that's what fanfiction is for!

Edited April 8, 2016 by Quiver

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Spoilers for the Gauntlet of fire:

That was a very good Spike episode.

 

First off, the fanart of this episode is going to be amazing. 10 dollars says there's already 50 Spember pieces on Tumblr. Or should it be Emberike?

 

I'm sad that there isn't really a new moral, since I rather like those, but it was good to see the moral of 'Being able to Depend on Friends rather than being alone' repeated.

 

The first dragon that Garble hugged grinned. I love it.

 

"How did you guys get here?" Loved that bit of lampshading. Even though the answer was obviously Twilight teleporting.

 

Camo-maud. I'm loving the in-show references.

 

The dragon Lore is interesting. I hadn't really expected there to be dragon laws. How long did Torch reign for?

 

Does Ember's creation mean the staff will stop making so many Sparity moments?

 

I feel like Rarity and Twilight were shoehorned into it though. This would have been a great episode for Spike to do alone. I can see why they were added it, as they provided support and a sounding board for Spike, but I still wish they hadn't been in there. Same with Celestia and Luna actually. Every pony in this episode felt shoehorned in. That's not something I expected to say about a show called My Little Pony.

 

Thoughts?

[Quiver he/him]

I haven't had time for season 6, so I figured I'd catch it when it gets a UK airdate.

I just saw the teaser for the next episode.

I WILL be making time to watch it.

Starlight Glimmer. Trixie.

Yes.

[Nashan’Elin he/him]

I haven't had time for season 6, so I figured I'd catch it when it gets a UK airdate.

I just saw the teaser for the next episode.

I WILL be making time to watch it.

Starlight Glimmer. Trixie.

Yes.

In about 10 days (that's when I can get it), I will be watching the harmony out of this

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

It's a very interesting teaser isn't it?

I half expect them to go through the mirror and befriend Sunset as well.

[Nashan’Elin he/him]

It's a very interesting teaser isn't it?

I half expect them to go through the mirror and befriend Sunset as well.

and then create a reformed villains version of the main six

 

[Kobold King he/him]

I haven't had time for season 6, so I figured I'd catch it when it gets a UK airdate.

I just saw the teaser for the next episode.

I WILL be making time to watch it.

Starlight Glimmer. Trixie.

Yes.

 

 

[Quiver he/him]

It's a very interesting teaser isn't it?

I half expect them to go through the mirror and befriend Sunset as well.

I just love the sheer adorkableness of Starlight's reaction. Over-enthused and excited Starlight Glimmer is great.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

So, did Y'all watch the Episode like you said?

I'm so glad they didn't revert Trixie's character. I was fully expecting her to be evil again. It's always nice to see the one of the Mane 6 in the 'villain' role.

[Kobold King he/him]

"Newbie Dash" spoilers.

 

What really interests me, made most obvious in the party scene in Rainbow's cloud house, is that Twilight's started to incorporate flight into her standard mannerisms. When Rainbow is on the stairs, Twilight casually flies up to her level while leaning on a rail. This is something Dash and other pegasi characters tend to do naturally, but most of the time it feels like Twi has still been left with all four hooves on the ground.

 

 This is a really subtle, but still great, piece of character development. While her wings were still uncomfortable and alien to her in Equestria Girls, she's adjusted to them to the point of unconsciously utilizing them in her daily movements.

 

It reflects that over time Twilight has come to fully embrace her altered physiology. It may even be that she no longer thinks of herself as a unicorn at all, but as the alicorn she has become.

 

...am I forgetting something?

 

Oh yeah.

 

Scootaloo was in this episode too!

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Finally got around to watching Newbie Dash, thoughts below.

This is it, isn't it? This is the Show's final season. All the long term goals of the cast are being completed, one by one. The Cutie Mark Crusaders got their Marks, Twilight got her own Student, and now, Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt.

There's not much they can do from here, except pass the show on to a new generation. The Mane Six are becoming unflawed characters, which aren't fun to watch. I love them right now, but they've grown enough that I'm ready to see them become support characters.

As for the actual episode, seriously WB's, every episode you're in makes me hate you a little bit more.