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MLP Episode 100 teaser – Well, That Ship Just Set Sail

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Shipping characters, or supporting the real or imagined romantic relationship of certain characters in a fandom, has been around since Classic Trek. However, the term “shipping” has only been commonly used in more recent years, and nowhere have I seen it more prevalent than in the My Little Pony universe. Fluttershy and Big Mac (my favorite), Fluttershy and Discord (Time Siren’s favorite), Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon, Dr. Whooves and Derpy…the list goes on.

You see it in art work, fanfic, and fan videos.  One of the most popular ships of background ponies has been Octavia and Vinyl Scratch/DJ Pon-3.  They are constantly put together as roommates or something more.  This clip from the upcoming 100th episode finally make this fan-created ship canon (well, the roommate part).

There is a lot of speculation if Vinyl will finally speak in this episode, and if you’ve think you’ve heard her speak, check again: we’ve only seen her speak in fan videos.  If I’m not mistaken, we’ve never heard Octavia speak either.  Despite that, Vinyl has been pulled up from the background several times during the show, has her own music video, and played an important part in the Equestia Girls Rainbow Rocks movie.

Check out the comments on the Equestria Daily page…my favorite is “There aren’t enough FedEx Trucks in the world to ship this.”

And finally, a big #secondgeekhood shout out to composer Danny Ingram for combining classic cello and Techno so awesomely!

GEEK RANT – Discovery Family, I love and hate you!

Posted on by Posted in Geek Rant, Horsing around with My Little Pony 1 Comment

Discovery Family Rant on My Little Pony at Second GeekhoodIt’s Saturday, May the 30th, and Discovery Family played both Equestria Girl movies AND the prequel shorts to Equestria Girl:  Rainbow Rocks.  For those of you who don’t have the Rainbow Rocks DVD, these shorts are the extras.  They can also be seen on the Hasbro YouTube Channel.  Six of the shorts show how each of the six girls playing their chosen instruments, or how they came to play them.  It also shows how they “pony out” when they play, which is sort of like a magical girl transformation sequence in anime.  One of these is an original music video of the song, “Shake Your Tail” from the movie.  The last two are original songs and videos not in the movie, so these shorts are well worth watching if you are an Equestria Girl fan. It’s like a bonus twenty two minutes…and that’s why I love you, Discovery Family!

And now, why I hate you.

Do you not view what you are airing?  I know you’re not directly owned by Hasbro anymore, but do you not understand dramatic story structure?  You aired Rainbow Rocks, but cut off the last song and replaced it with minimized, generic credits in the background of a programming promo piece.  I know this is commonly done to save airtime, and that most people don’t care about the credits.  However, most movies replay songs from earlier in the movie over a plain background, and this is not how the pony movies work.  The closing song, “Shine Like Rainbows,” is an original piece with original animation, and the last bit after the credits is VERY important.  I won’t spoil anything, but not showing it is like walking out of an AVENGERS movie and not staying to the very end. Serious Marvel fans know what I mean.

This may seem trivial to some…allow me to explain to you why this hack and slash job is a sin deserving of you having your life energy sucked out of you by three sirens from another world.

Most people assume that, because it’s a pony movie, Twilight Sparkle is the star, that it’s her movie…only it’s not!  Yes, she has problems to deal with.  She has to learn that she doesn’t always have to have all the answers. In the end, however, it’s really Sunset Shimmer’s movie.  She’s the protagonist.

starlight glimmer and the rainbooms on Second Geekhood

In writing terms, the protagonist is the one who goes through change.  More than one character in a story can go through changes, but the protagonist is the one who goes through the biggest, life-altering change.  You will recall that in the first movie, Sunset Shimmer is the antagonist who raises an army of hypnotized students to try to take over Equestria.  In the end, she is defeated and repents, intent on changing her ways.  In this movie, Rainbow Rocks, she is still struggling with the repercussions of her past, and the student body has not forgotten what she did, dividing friendships and setting them against each other.  The five friends who accept her: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, have formed a band, but she’s not in it.  So, even among her friends, there is still that feeling of being an outsider.   She watches her friends being torn apart by petty arguments, but doesn’t feel she has a right to say anything. In addition, she has the sirens tearing her down by reminding her of her past in much the same way she once did to Twilight when she told her, “You don’t know the first thing about fitting in.”

In the final musical battle, it’s only when she adds her voice that they are able to defeat the sirens.  When she sings, “You’re never gonna tear me down,” she finally has her magical transformation and it’s the Equestrian magic of the seven that finally defeats the sirens.

So why is the last song such a big deal?  Because it’s not an epilogue, it’s the end of her story arc.  In the end song, she is part of the band.  There is no more sense of being an outsider.  It is the defining moment that tells the audience that she, Sunset Shimmer, is part of this world’s Mane Six.  Through the end credits we see that those who once rejected her now accept her.  The Cutie Mark Crusaders pick up the book she drops and walk down the hall with her.  Bulk Biceps picks her up to retrieve Fluttershy’s bunny.  Twilight has gone home to Equestria.  This world’s magical protectors are Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Rarity, Fluttershy, AND Sunset Shimmer.  They all shine like rainbows, just as the song says.

But, of course, we missed that today.  I know it’s there because I have the DVD, but others don’t.  There is a philosophy in the theater world that says an actor may preform the same part a thousand times, but for someone in the audience, it’s their first time.  It was someone first time seeing Rainbow Rocks today, and they missed the ending.

For those of you who did, here it is.  It’s a beautiful piece all by itself.  Enjoy.

– The AFOL Husband

My Little Pony: What’s in a Name?

Posted on by Posted in Horsing around with My Little Pony, Our Opinions And We're Sticking To 'Em! Leave a comment

My Little Pony Season 5 Starlight Shimmer cutie mark vault and staff of sameness on second geekhood

In the recent Bronies React review of the My Little Pony Season 5 premier, one of the bronies went on about how a pony’s personality seems to be tied to their cutie mark.  For example, when Pinkie Pie has her cutie mark taken away, she stops being funny and energetic.  But wait a minute, let’s analyze this a step further.  As we heard Applejack say in “Bloom and Gloom”, a cutie mark reflects what’s inside you.  So can what’s inside you be taken away as well?  But then that begs the question, how did what’s inside you get inside you?  A cutie mark may show what you are meant to do, but, perhaps, the real question is how much power does the name given you have?

Think about it.  AJ’s parents named their first two kids Macintosh and Apple Jack – and they end up with apples on their plots.  And we’re all expecting the same for Apple Bloom.  Two other ponies named their daughter Fluttershy. She flutters (as opposed to high-speed flying like Rainbow Dash) and is shy.   Rainbow Dash dashes around in the sky.  Rarity has gems on her plot, which are rare and beautiful, which segways  into fashion.  So do cutie marks really show their destiny, or was their destiny set by what their parents named them?

And if that is the case, are pony parents aware of what they are doing?  Do they set their foals destiny on purpose?  Did AJ’s parents (when they we still around) name their three kids Macintosh, Apple Jack and Apple Bloom so they would always stay on the farm to run it?  Did the Cakes name their kids Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake so some day they would take over Sugar Cube Corner?  Did Fluttershy’s parents want her to be shy?  Why would they want that?

Which makes you wonder, what were some parents thinking?  Snips and Snails?  Did Snips’ parents want…what, a barber in the family?  And Snails…did his parents want him to be slow?  Did Filthy Rich name his daughter Diamond Tiara so she would be a snooty prima donna?  Was Trixie destined to a life of low-level magic that would amount to no more than some parlor tricks?  No wonder she doesn’t like Twilight.  She must be as jealous as Tartarus.  And if this line of thinking is correct, aren’t you just asking for trouble if you name your twin sons Flim and Flam?

And then there’s Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer.  Is there something inherently magical about a “sparkly” name?  Can you give you foal a name like this if they are not a unicorn?  Or will the name police come down from Canterlot and arrest you while you’re filling out the birth certificate?

Is this all some cultural phenomena that nopony is even aware of, or is it a deep, dark secret that no pony speaks of?  I don’t have the answer.  But if I were a pony living in Equestria, I’d stay away from any pony named Kill Joy, Buzz Kill, World Wrecker or Sun Snuffer.

~The AFOL Husband

On a Runaway Starship…

Posted on by Posted in TimeSiren's Time Rants 1 Comment

Staff Meeting - small - at Second GeekhoodOkay, when I started this concept of Second Geekhood, I never though I’d have to arrange for Staff Meetings, but I am! The ‘site is expanding even faster now and there is so bloody much Fandom out there to geek out about, I literally feel like I am drowning.

But it’s drowning in a good way. I learned to multitask clients for my website design biz and that experience is coming in real handy right now. Currently I am writing this post, recording our FB, TW and website posts on a spreadsheet, handling a FB staff meeting chat and engaging in a great discussion over MLP Rarity’s fear of being naked at the Grand Galloping Gala with Andrew W.C., known as @Honda175 on TweetDeck! Hi Andrew *waves!*. I mean, have you seen TweetDeck?!? It is the multi-headed hydra of multi-tasking all on it’s own!!! And I am chuffed to say, I’m handling it like a boss!

I don’t mean to sound arrogant and if I do, that’s the problem of the arrogant out there. I learned back in my business college days that we hate the so-called faults in others because they are the exact same flaws in ourselves. This doesn’t mean that when they get offended we shouldn’t take a look at ourselves, it means we need to take a breath, not retaliate and understand it is coming from their own internal pain.

This can be harder than hell, but once mastered, it also goes a long way towards stopping wars and hatred. It can also guide you that much closer to your dreams. Don’t believe it? Stick around and you’ll see living proof that loving your reflection in the mirror – and in others is part of what is going to keep us running towards bigger and better dreams.

Watch me, Doctor. Watch me run.

You watch Second Geekhood run, Doctor

TimeSiren