After the post about the fifth anniversary of PonyGAF, I was looking through my old posts on other boards when I was reminded of something that used to be big in the fandom but dropped away: bingo. Here was the season 2 one for Toon Zone, after the season finale.
For old time's sake, how about we make a bingo card for season 6? I'm not sure what criteria we'll actually use for final selection, but we should have a mix of likely and unlikely stuff. First, cribbing stuff from the above:
* Body swap episode
* Trixie returns
* We find out more about Zecora
And new stuff:
* Discord episode without Twilight or Fluttershy as a lead
* Older Flurry Heart appears (CMC age or above)
* Episode focused on one or more "Slice of Life" characters
* Mid-season break (longer than a month)
* Full musical episode
* Starlight has a speaking role in at least 3 one-part episodes
* The Cutie Map continues providing missions
* A character introduced in season 5 other than Starlight has a major role (Marble and Limestone count)
* Direct reference to Equestria Girls
* New breakout ship
* Daring Do returns
* Best dragon Crackle returns
* Twilight has to deal with suitors [further explanation: A fun episode could be made out Prince Blueblood trying to marry Twilight for status]
* "Rarity Investigates 2"
* Spike's mother appears
* Celestia episode
* Luna episode with "Luna Eclipsed" personality
And DrForrester, I got you covered
* Celestia and Luna are useless against every major threat.
Well, I was kind of thinking we'd have a single bingo card for the community, which we'd update after every episode, but if you guys want to create individual cards, that's fine, I suppose.
I'll just remind everyone that there should be a decent mix of likely and unlikely squares, and you shouldn't try to make a bingo too easy.
Well, I was kind of thinking we'd have a single bingo card for the community, which we'd update after every episode, but if you guys want to create individual cards, that's fine, I suppose.
I'll just remind everyone that there should be a decent mix of likely and unlikely squares, and you shouldn't try to make a bingo too easy.
I predict that we would get a Celestia episode that isn't about Celestia, like she would come down with a case of Alicorn Flu and Twilight and Luna nearly ruin the kingdom trying to rule in her stead.
You could even fit in several flashbacks from Twi/Luna reminiscing about how calm and perfect their mentor/sister is.
ED's Calpain (who used to post here, incidentally) made a post about what got him into MLP, and he linked to this popular video from the old days, My Little Pony AMV Epic. It's kind of weird seeing that it hasn't breached 1 million views, given how big it was in the early fandom, yet MLP videos in the recommended list have more views without being as "famous". (FAKE EDIT: Oh, from the comments, it's because there were other uploads, and this one (the original) got taken down then got it reversed.) Anyway, it's interesting noting things like how this is still called an AMV instead of a PMV, and how there aren't any fancy edits like current PMVs all have.
As for me, I suppose I first heard about the MLP hubbub through this Shortpacked comic (incidentally, the comic artist later said he came to regret being an early promoter of the show due to bronies). Given when that comic was published, it must have been after that I started seeing MLP avatars on Something Awful and NeoGAF--neither were places I frequented, but I went to the former for Let's Plays and I sometimes got linked to the latter. Both places had animated avatars at the time, and ones that stuck out to me were Twilight being tossed in the air with an unamused expression during Pinkie's song from "The Ticket Master", Rarity and Applejack's moving their arms during their "ghost stories" from "Look Before You Sleep", and one of Applejack sitting below a tree and tipping her hat up. From these, I had the following misconceptions about the show:
* Twilight was a villainous character, but was of the ineffectual sort that got caught in wacky shenanigans, like Team Rocket. I got this from her unamused expression and the assumption that only villains would have dark fur in a show like this. Yes, her fur isn't all that dark, but it seemed close enough. Needless to say, I was surprised that Twilight wasn't just good, but the main character.
* Rarity was the main character, since she had white fur and looked like a princess character.
* Applejack was smaller than the other characters. Just something about the aforementioned gif of her sitting below a tree gave me this impression.
* Oddly, I don't recall knowing the other characters before I started watching. Did I just not happen to encounter avatars based on them?
I wasn't exposed to any AMVs or even many pictures beforehand, since I was unfamiliar with who the main cast was. I know I was already aware of the fact that ponies were banned from SA when I started watching the show in March 2011, so maybe that's what broke the camel's back and got me to start watching, but I don't quite remember.
Technically a MLP skit was already done (albeit it's for MLP in general and not specifically FIM): Apocalypse Pony. Just a fyi if anyone is unfamiliar with Robot Chicken - it's probably NSFW so air on the side of caution if you want to watch the clip.
IIRC, didn't one of the Robot Chicken guys say he watched FIM (I think it was Seth Green, but it was early in the show - like season 1 or 2).
I liked the art style of this image from today's ED Drawfriend, so I decided to check out the rest of the artist's stuff, and there's a lot of good art. Linking tumblr since not all of the art is on DeviantArt. Note that there's some SPOILER HORSE art. The artist also did the SPOILER HORSE art I posted above, and this art of Trixie's mother from the comic.
Draft of the season 6 OT. The biggest to-do is the character section. Even excluding getting a new vector for the CMC, I always found it weird how the ponies aren't proportionate, with Fluttershy being huge compared to Applejack. I'm thinking maybe changing the entire character guide to a single image, so I can have the text next to the character vectors and maybe include some screenshots. By the way, I decided to add the CMC and Spike back to the character list. It just felt weird not to when they have focus episodes revealed for this season already.
Like with the season 5 OT draft, season 6 information spoiled out for now. For now, I'm thinking the bingo card won't actually be in the opening post.
My Little Pony returns after its shortest break between seasons thus far. Season 5 is widely considered to be one of the best of the show, so expectations are high for season 6. In this season,
the balance of power is shifted as a new alicorn appears: Flurry Heart. Alliances will shift and bonds will be broken, as the arrival of the new princess also portents a never ending winter. Can Equestria survive the struggle for power between five princesses? Or will the fact that Flurry Heart is just a baby and directly related to two of the other princesses mean we'll just get adorable family bonding? Probably the latter.
Outside of that, the theme this year is "Explore Equestria", which is reflected by a greatly expanded world map that has popped up in official material recently. Both places we've seen before and brand new locations are on the menu, but we'll still get plenty of stories set in plain old Ponyville.
In addition to the show, the next Equestria Girls movie, "Legend of Everfree", will come in the fall. A new toyline of honest-to-god action figures, Guardians of Harmony, is coming later this year, and has a trademark for an animated series, which could mean... something. The IDW comics are continuing as normal. But the biggest thing to look forward to is that in late 2017, we're getting a full-fledged theatrical movie.
New episodes air at 11:30 AM ET on Saturdays, on Discovery Family.
GETTING STARTED
There probably isn't too much danger is just starting the series from the newest episode, but if you're uncomfortable with that, then good news, we made an episode guide! If you don't want to watch over 117 episodes, or have fallen behind and want to quickly catch up, watch the episodes we've recommended. Note that in the interest of keeping the number of recommended episodes down, there are several good episodes that have been left off. If you like a character, just look for episodes tagged with that character and watch them regardless of if they're recommended or not.
Also of note are the Equestria Girls movies, described in the above guide, and the comics published by IDW. The comics are a mixed bag, but there's a lot to like.
PREVIOUSLY ON MY LITTLE PONY
Time travel shenanigans! After the heroes shut down Starlight Glimmer's experiment in Cutie Marxism in the season premiere, she returned for revenge against Twilight in the finale. Wishing to demonstrate to the princess that her friendships aren't actually important, she channeled the power of the map in Twilight's castle into a spell that altered the past, so that the main six never became friends. Twilight and Spike were then flung to an alternate present where, contrary to Starlight's expectations of a world that was roughly the same, Equestria was at war... with King Sombra and the Crystal Empire!
Twilight was able to use Starlight's spell to go to the past, but no matter what, she couldn't prevent the timeline from being altered. If she tried to fight Starlight, the past would be altered anyway. Not even being a creeper to children helped! (gif version) And with every failure, she and Spike would find themselves in a new present where a different villain has won... somehow (don't worry about it). Even these villains got in on the action! Summarized by this awesome fanart, and this.
Eventually, Twilight realized that her only recourse was to talk to Starlight. After learning of how her interfering with the past was wrecking the present, Starlight revealed how her childhood friend, Sunburst, left after he got his cutie mark. This is what started her on her dark path. After a speech from Twilight, Starlight was successfully friendshipped and turned over a new leaf.
But wait, more happened in season 5 than in the finale! For one thing,
The Cutie Mark Crusaders got their cutie marks! After helping Diamond Tiara understand the true meaning of hers, they got cutie marks forever connecting them, but with inner marks that reflect their individual skills. But even with their marks, they still have much left to understand about themselves.
Other things to note from season 5:
* Rarity opened a successful store in Canterlot, fulfilling her dream from the first episode.
* Rainbow Dash has flown with the Wonderbolts in a show, though she's still a reserve member and not part of the main team.
* Background characters have official personalities and voices now!
* Still no overt lesbians, but Lyra and Bon Bon are "best friends".
* Cadance is pregnant! Speaking of which...
AND NOW
Neither the season 5 premiere nor finale had major toy tie ins, so to make up for lost time, we have an alicorn baby! While Auntie Twilight and her friends help Cadance and Shining Armor wrangle with the newborn Princess Flurry Heart's uncontrollable magic, Starlight visits her old friend, Sunburst. However, the reunion doesn't turn out well. To make matters worse, something has happened to the environmental magic of the Crystal Empire, letting in an eternal winter.
* Will baby save the day?
* Will Starlight and Sunburst get along in the end?
* How will those storylines connect anyway?
* Will the Guardians of Harmony toys tie into the show?
* After five seasons, will Celestia finally get an episode? Probably not.
Princess Twilight Sparkle Voiced by Tara Strong, singing voice by Rebecca Shoichet
Formerly a mere student and unicorn, Twilight now works with her friends to spread friendship across the land as the alicorn Princess of Friendship, when she's not cooped up in her castle reading. Despite being one of the most powerful magic wielders in Equestria, she is defined by her dorkiness.
Pinkie Pie Voiced by Andrea Libman, singing voice by Shannon Chan-Kent
Even though she grew up on a rock farm with a largely gray family, Pinkie Pie is the brightest and craziest of them all. Able to squash and stretch and seemingly bend reality at will, she often startles or annoys the others, but she takes pride in how she can always bring a smile to their faces.
Rarity Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, singing voice by Kazumi Evans
On the surface, she looks like the cliche fashion-obsessed popular girl, but Rarity is a creative dressmaker and a savvy businessmare who has already expanded her franchise to Canterlot and isn't going to stop there. Though she can be fussy, she is generous to a fault, and is surprisingly effective in a brawl.
Fluttershy Voiced by Andrea Libman (really, same as Pinkie Pie)
Fluttershy loves woodland creatures, but she tries to avoid attention from ponies. Recently, she has started to push her own boundaries to understand what level of social interaction she's comfortable with. She is caring and motherly, but when she finds her courage, she can be surprisingly intimidating.
v2:
Though Fluttershy loves helping animals, this earthbound pegasus prefers to avoid attention from ponies. Recently, however, she has started to push her own boundaries for social interaction. She is caring and motherly, but when she finds her courage, she can also be surprisingly intimidating.
Applejack Voiced by Ashleigh Ball
Applejack is the strong, hard-working, and straight-forward earth pony who runs Sweet Apple Acres orchard, and she values her family above almost everything. She can be very stubborn and competitive, but she is well known for her reliability.
Rainbow Dash Voiced by Ashleigh Ball (yes, same as above)
Rainbow Dash is a high-flying daredevil and one of the fastest pegasi around. She often acts and speaks before she thinks and hates to be inactive when she's not sleeping, but over time, her leadership skills have developed and she has learned when to be gentle and supporting.
v2:
Rainbow Dash is a high-flying daredevil and one of the fastest pegasi around. She often acts and speaks before she thinks, and hates to be inactive when she isn't sleeping. Over time, her leadership skills have developed and she has learned when to be gentle and supporting.
(New CMC image)
The Cutie Mark Crusaders (Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo) Voiced by Claire Corlett, Michelle Creber, and Madeline Peters
Apple Bloom is Applejack's sister, Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sister, and Scootaloo... isn't related to anyone, but she's Rainbow Dash's biggest fan. They were searching for their cutie marks for a while there, trying to find out how they fit in. But now that they've made their mark, their adventure has only just begun.
v2:
Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sister, Apple Bloom is Applejack's sister, and Scootaloo... isn't related to anyone, but she's Rainbow Dash's biggest fan. They were searching for their cutie marks for a while there, trying to find out how they fit in. But now that they've made their mark, their adventure has only just begun.
Spike Voiced by Cathy Weseluck
Spike is a dragon hatched by Twilight in her youth, and has since acted as her assistant. He takes his role very seriously, though he can be lazy and sarcastic when off duty. He often worries about his worth and his nature as a dragon, but Twilight assures him that he's nothing less than family. Spike is in love with Rarity, and Rarity likes him too--though as a friend, to his disappointment.
v2:
Spike is a dragon hatched by Twilight in her youth, and has since acted as her assistant. He takes his role very seriously, though he can be lazy and sarcastic when off duty. He often worries about his worth and his nature as a dragon, but Twilight assures him that he's nothing less than family.
New episodes air at 11:30 AM EDT on Saturdays on Discovery Family, and are usually put up on iTunes the next day. Seasons 1-5 can be found on iTunes and US Netflix. Episode descriptions for new episodes are taken from Zap2It.
1-2. The Crystalling - March 26
Part 1: The Mane Six attend the Crystalling of Cadence and Shining Armor's new baby at the Crystal Empire; Twilight gets the chance to present Starlight with her first friendship lesson.
Part 2: The Mane Six scramble to save the Crystal Empire from an eternal winter; Starlight struggles after the failed reunion with her old friend.
3. The Gift Of Maud Pie - April 2nd
Rarity and Pinkie Pie are in Manehattan looking for an ideal location for Rarity's new store and searching for the perfect gift for Pinkie Pie's sister.
4. On Your Marks - April 9th
Now that they've finally received their cutie marks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders struggle with the question of what's next; the friends do not all agree on how to embrace their destinies.
5. Gauntlet of Fire - April 16th
In order to save his friends, Spike is forced to compete in a perilous Gauntlet for the title of Dragon Lord.
Fan community links Equestria Daily - The most active fan blog dedicated to MLP:FiM. It can be a bit hasty in posting rumors, but they are the best place to find news and fanworks at the same time. Like any big blog, avoid the comments.
Derpibooru - The biggest collection of MLP:FiM related images online. They block NSFW images, but sometimes things slip through, so it is unlinked. Avoid the comments. The Round Stable - The best dedicated forum for MLP:FiM discussion, founded by those who left Something Awful when MLP discussion became a bannable offense there. There is a main page, but it's basically dead now. It also runs Bronibooru, a site similar to Derpibooru, but dedicated to only uploading family-friendly images. MLP:FiM Wikia - The better source for pure information on the show and its characters.
I wasn't satisfied with the start and end of the draft, so I added some more stuff. I also tried to compress the gifs, since I added more of them. Tell me if they look fine. Clicking them will bring you to the original versions.
Also, decided to draft up part of the character guide image. I had gotten attached to the idea of including multiple images per character, and wow, Derpibooru's vector tag is really useful for this sort of thing. If I knew about this, I would have used a show vector for an avatar a long time ago, but I've gotten attached to Reylight. Here's Twilight's, with a temporary background and font. Font is Tahoma. I think for the actual thing, I'll use the font we used in the episode guide. What is it?
The characters will alternate sides, so it will look something like this.
Of course, I can go back to just one image per character if you guys prefer it.
Also, decided to draft up part of the character guide image. I had gotten attached to the idea of including multiple images per character, and wow, Derpibooru's vector tag is really useful for this sort of thing. If I knew about this, I would have used a show vector for an avatar a long time ago, but I've gotten attached to Reylight. Here's Twilight's, with a temporary background and font. Font is Tahoma. I think for the actual thing, I'll use the font we used in the episode guide. What is it?
The characters will alternate sides, so it will look something like this.
Of course, I can go back to just one image per character if you guys prefer it.
I'd suggest adding some margins to your text bubbles so that they don't look quite so full, and maybe increasing the tracking on your headings. Those little quibbles aside, I think it'll come up great.
If it's possible I'd make it so the text in Pinkie's bubble is aligned to the left rather than to the right. I see what you're going for with the symmetry, it's just a little odd to read left-to-right when you don't know where the line starts.
But that's a very minor quibble. I love the OT so far. "Cutie Marxism", lol.
It's been a looonnnggg time since I last posted in this thread, but I'm still a huge fan and still lurk. So many of my friends seem to have dropped away from MLP but it still has me hooked. Can't wait for Season 6!
Also been doing some work on remaking my cosplays for upcoming Cons. Just finished up Rainbow Dash (below) and I'm halfway done with Trixie (which I'll be taking to BronyCon along with Echo the Batpony)
EDIT: Snowdrop was released over 3 years ago, what the hell?! I guess this is also a good opportunity to point out that to the general public, Twilight has been an alicorn for longer than she's been a unicorn, and that will be reflected in the number of episodes halfway through season 6.
Alright, version 4, adding Rarity and Fluttershy. Writing Pinkie in-character is too much effort, so just have a lazy dialogue arrow.
EDIT: Snowdrop was released over 3 years ago, what the hell?! I guess this is also a good opportunity to point out that to the general public, Twilight has been an alicorn for longer than she's been a unicorn, and that will be reflected in the number of episodes halfway through season 6.
Alright, version 4, adding Rarity and Fluttershy. Writing Pinkie in-character is too much effort, so just have a lazy dialogue arrow.
Man, seems like only yesterday I was refusing to watch Snowdrop (for the first time).
OT content is looking good. I'd be sure to add a little more space between each text bubble and the following character, but other than that, thumbs up.
Next version, with all of the characters that are to be included. Final version will probably move things closer to the middle (making the image a bit thinner), and of course adding the title.
I am a big fan of "six seasons and a movie", but I'll put forward some suggestions of my own.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 6 |OT| Cutie Mark Crusader Kings
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 6 |OT| Twilight Princess HD
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 6 |OT| Sex Eques <- this is a classicist joke
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 6 |OT| Hex Girls
Alright, final version of the character guide. Thread will be made tomorrow afternoon. For the thread title, I'll probably go with "Six Seasons and a Movie".
And my bingo card, images to be inserted later. Spaces that can't form a line through the free space are ones less likely to be fulfilled. Click for full.
ED spotlighted Pashapup, a fanartist that was really active before season 2. Most of the linked fancomics are sad, including that famous "Pinkie got her cutie mark due to cheering up a friend dying from cancer" comic and one where Spike deals with Twilight dying of old age while he's still young, but "At Dawn of Each Day" and "A Rainboom of my Own" are not sad.
Oh, and one more thing. Season 6 thread up! I added a rules section. Notably, with the bingo stuff, please don't embed the bingo images in the thread unless you get bingo. Otherwise, just link it.
