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Hmmm….this is gonna be interesting. I've heard people claim that this is both a great and bad episode.

Can't wait for that HD Upload. Yes, I'm a slowfag like that.

That being said, I don't think I've disliked any episode in the show (except maybe the Cutie Pox) and I'm not a dash fan so I doubt I'd hate it.

Totes.

But let's look at one difference here: Fandoms and Subcultures. MLP has surpassed the levels of "fandom", it has grown into a whole different subculture by itself. Homestuck is getting there as well, but not quite yet (the fandom is still too confusing from an outsider perspective).

Instead of complaining about the one big fandom that didn't make it, they could've easily looked at other "fandoms" that long passed fandom levels and went into subculture:

• Star Wars.
• Star Trek.
• Pokemon.

Instead of looking at the ones that already had a big presence and everyone already knew about, it was a better idea to look at ones that really have grown this year. MLP was already fuckhuge, but didn't really show any notable growth this year or had any notable events happening, something which those others had.

Besides, to really say only bronies have issues in their replies on that list. Neither side makes any sense, the pro-bronies, those cheering that they didn't make the cut, those sharing how they're grabbing popcorn, none. It's a fun read for shits and giggles, but like with entries I hardly take them serious.

Tim the Enchanter wrote:

I think that the main problem with the article was mainly directed towards the author’s biases, at least in my opinion because there is no real way to measure the success of a fandom unless it is able to cater to the needs of the fans, which all fandoms are designed to do. Even if I was to take this ranking system seriously, Homestuck is rated way to high if we are going by popularity or what ever unit of measurement Amanda was using, One Direction would have been 1st or 2nd if this was going by popularity. Another problem with the list is that it lumped all of the fandoms together into one category even though they should belong in different categories, that was a bit lazy on the behalf of the author. Overall, the article kinda sucked and reeked of bias which should never had been there in the first place. Now, I am going to get ready for the criticism of my comment.

This reply is bothering me. Not only do I find it insulting that you blame the staff for being biased, it can also in no way be backed up (do you see us randomly deadpooling ponies?).

Amanda was invited to a brony radio show once, and she and Don have also been to Bronycon (that was more location related, both Bronycon and the KYM office being in NY). Out of all the staff, and backed up by my personal experience with speaking them on the IRC, I can easily say Amanda's the biggest "brony" out of the staff.

My reaction when reading those comments:

@The fandom list

The main problem I had was specifically Twilight being the top spot. Honestly, I haven't heard of this one that much this year, and I felt there were more active subcultures even among that list that were more deserving.

lets see, even without reading it……
hater complaints in comments
1. bronies push it on everyone else
2. bronies post it everywhere
3. ???
4. why don't they go die
pic unrelated, I made it

RandomMan wrote:

"But let’s look at one difference here: Fandoms and Subcultures. MLP has surpassed the levels of “fandom”, it has grown into a whole different subculture by itself. Homestuck is getting there as well, but not quite yet (the fandom is still too confusing from an outsider perspective).
Instead of complaining about the one big fandom that didn’t make it, they could’ve easily looked at other “fandoms” that long passed fandom levels and went into subculture:
Star Wars.
Star Trek.
Pokemon."

OK, then why is the Star Wars "subculture" added then if it does not constitute as a fandom?

"(do you see us randomly deadpooling ponies?)." How is confirming or deadpooling memes related to this? this is a ranking system, which is different to dead pooling an inactive or unpopular trend. I just found this survey way to awkward because it is comparing international movies to online web comics and other fandoms of other mediums, that does not make that much logical sense. Is it far for me to say that the Wham! fandom is superior or ranked higher in influence to a fandom which revolves around Thomas the Tank Engine? No, because have no correlation other than the fact that people like those specific things and create content revolving around those topics. The only reason that I believed that there was bias because some fandoms were ranked way to high in comparison to their popularity or impact, I am looking at homestuck because it was only around 19,00 people who raised 2 million dollars, that is extraordinary but a VERY small amount of people did that. In addition, some of these units of measurement are a bit arbitrary to say the least and do not really show the impact of the fandom. I will simply say that this list was unnecessary because there is no way to measure a fandom correctly or rank it, they are made to service the fans, not designed to be ranked in quality or popularity. In addition, being a brony/pegasister or not does not factor into my conclusion, maybe it was not bias that effected the chart but it still was completed at a sub-par level or was unnecessary.

Eeeyah, I don't see what the big deal is with that fandom list, mostly because I don't care. In a world where "Grumpy Cat" is apparently the funniest meme since sliced bread I don't pretend to understand how opinions on the internet work anymore.

Besides, "Ikea Monkey" is way funnier.

But on to something I really DO have a problem with. What the spack do you people have against the new episode?!

I honestly don't understand the backlash, it's like complaining because GLaDOS is in Pacific Rim, if you can't appreciate it for doing interesting things you're looking at it the wrong way. The average episode of Dr. Who has more problems then this (*cough*weepingangelstatueofliberty*coughcough*) this scrutiny is completely unjustified.

@Top 10 fandom list

I was certainly curious when Ponies didn't appear. I don't care if it's not there but it did take me by surprise, hence my own comment on that page.

I didn't know subcultures and fandoms are mutually exclusive and I find that reasoning questionable. I was pretty sure something can be both a fandom and a subculture.

But, oh well. If MLP wasn't included for being a subculture then I guess that works for me (and it is certainly too late to change it). I can't be bothered caring about the trollfest going on in those comments. It's just a top 10 list, no big deal.

new episode in a nutshell

and some pmv

Ding:

>MFW this episode

Well that was an awesome episode. Extremely hot-blooded, my kind of stuff! I feel metaphorically pumped!

My thoughts. Lightning Dust was a bitch, really.
I really liked this episode, specially with some special appearances like Cloudchaser and That strong pegasus with tiny wings (I forgot his name, can someone help?). And Spitfire? Wow, she was acting like an army sergeant! Pushing ourselves in the right direction, that's a relly good message.

BONUS PIC:

It Aint Gonna Suck Itself

@Bruno he has various different names: Roids Rage, Horse Power, Tiny, or (the MLP wiki calls him this) Snowflake. Anyways, I do like that some various Season 2 Pegasi (Including Thunderlane, and anther male pegusus the wiki calls Milky Way) showed up again. Nice to see them get more screen time.
I rather liked the episode. I think the density differences created by compression is the best way to explain the cloud bit.

Did anyone else like (the 2 seconds of screen time) the yellow and black maned pegai in the episode? I found it interesting that apparently Ridd Sorensen (art director) stated she had a name on Twitter. Midnight Strike.

I didn't like the episode much at all. Gigatoast had some reasons as to why we shouldn't dislike it, but I feel like I can dispute them.

If I could simplify it, then I'd say it was like Cutie Pox for me. There was more plot-wise, to be sure. The Cutie Pox was mostly Apple Bloom doing random stuff until she realized she had to tell the truth in order to stop. In this episode, it seemed to be a whole lot of "cool" pegasus talk and tricks.

I don't watch the show for coolness or epic scenes. Other shows, games, and movies do it so much better. I watch it for cute, colorful, and funny ponies.

This is plenty. I don't care for cool lines or daring moves. Just cute, funny, and colorful.

I'll watch this a second time tonight. When I watched this before, I had issues with Pinkie Pie's character. It really felt out of character and honestly made me annoyed of her. I mean, she was really annoying this episode. I watched an S1 episode and I really missed that Pinkie Pie. Fun, random, etc…

RD did get some respect from me though. Still feels she's a showoff…if I were to rank the mane 6

Fluttershy > Pinkie Pie > Applejack > Twilight Sparkle > Rainbow Dash > Rarity the Drama Queen

I really loved this episode, it might be one of my favorites now. It's really odd how people seem to want to nitpick on the randomest episodes though, I literally found almost nothing wrong with this one. As Gigatoast explained, RD was going through a little thing called character development. Notice how in the beginning of the episode she and Lightning Dust were basically the same pony, but when Rainbow saw the consequences of being so cocky and competitive she realized she needed to make a change and prove how good she is at flying without risking others safety. Really, character development is something to be expected in a boot camp episode! Really, the only thing I found very wrong with this episode is the fact that the characters seemed to get amnesia and nobody remembers Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom, and this is a nitpick I have about a lot of the episodes in this series.
Pic related

I think I'm a Rainbow Dash fan and I don't even know it yet.

Well… If anyone saw the end of this episode, you now know why I have to resort to multiple timelines for my comic; with the main one being the fourth.

Speaking of which… I've made a new Page for my comic if anyone's Interested.

It's Up on Deviant Art

But, if you're too lazy to go there, I'll Just Throw it behind this spoiler tag.

For the Record, there is some Kissing, and Pan Directional Shipping. As well as Three Alternate Timeline Dashes that show you what the Children of Dash and Luna would Look Like… And one of them is Part Tiger due to Shenanigans.

Everyone seems pretty polarized about this episode. I guess it's just going to go down as one of those "love-it-hate-it" deals.

Personally I thought it was quite passable and my headcannon has helped me get over all the bits people seem to not like.

All-in-all, I give it a 7/10, would watch again if I was in the right mood.

(Also this is my 1000 post in the forums. How appropriate that it be in a PG thread.)

I waited until it aired to watch it, which meant I avoided pony stuff like that plague.

Which, in retrospect, is a good thing, as it let me study for finals (not that I needed to).

Anyways, I disliked the episode. I can't really put into words why, but it didn't really hold my interest and I wasn't really entertained. Pinkie didn't make me laugh, as I thought she was acting over the top, even for her. I didn't really see much stellar writing, other than 'GOTTA GO FAST'. So, basically, this was 'Sonic The Hedgehog: The Episode'.

Maybe I'm just not the kind of person to leap for joy at the prospect of Dash having A SUPER BADASS EPISODE IN WHICH PINKIE IS ALL OVER HER, SHE GOES SUPER FAST, THE HARD ARMY DRILL SERGEANT SUCCUMBS AND RECOGNIZES HER AWESOME, THE ENTIRE ACADEMY LEARNS TO FOLLOW HER LEAD, AND SHE GOES SUPER FAST. ALSO SHE BEATS HER RIVAL BECAUSE HER RIVAL WENT FROM BEING LIKE HER TO BEING A TOTAL BITCH JUST FOR A CHANCE TO SHOW THAT RAINBOW DASH IS TOTES LEVEL-HEADED.

That's not even touching on other nitpicks that I won't bring up.

I think I'm with Verbose on this. I tend to dislike the 'action' scenes for some reason. They usually involve RD, as well, which might contribute to why I don't really like here. Whatever, at least she's getting a boyfriend later in the season. That's sure to liven things up!

@The fandom list:

I was mostly questioning why the fuck Twilight won. They were growing last year, and have done jack shit this year since no books or movies have released. I've heard more from Adventure Time, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and Avatar than I have of Twilight.

@maPINESS:

Bro, I think your arrows are pointing the wrong way, and Rainbow Dash replaced Fluttershy when you were copy-pasting.

Simple mistake for a lesser being such as yourself.

@Rarity and Thunderlane

Still not as good as Princest or TomBerg, but getting there.

Also, this, as a final note:

>MFW I realized that the Phrase "Weird Plot Shenanigans" I put on the Spoiler tag translates to something Dirty in this fandom.

Too late to Edit Now… All I can say is, I meant that it's a convoluted story, not that… any Mature Rated Stuff happened.

I really need to stop talking…

Personally, I thought the episode was average. It's execution was certainly flawed, and I don't like how the rest of the Mane 6 were just sort of there, but it's what I expect from a run-of-the-mill MLP episode, and there were at least a few things that made me smile a bit. So, 6.5/10 stars.

And I'm in agreement with Giga here. I really don't see why people are fussing over RD so much. However, I'm not going to rant about it (just yet, anyways) because I have more important things to do and I just don't feel like it.

@Fandom listing

I really don't care too much about the list and, given my general lack of internet knowledge, Amanda (or whoever wrote it) probably knows a lot more than I do. But what I do want to know is what's the difference between a fandom and a subculture? I know what a subculture is, but I thought a fandom was a type of subculture, but with some being not nearly as large as others.

Finally just watched the new episode.

To anyone who watched it when it was leaked: FUCK YOU!!!

Anyway, what did I think of the episode? I knew going into this it was going to be about Rainbow Dash. I like Rainbow Dash episodes, I thought this was going to be awesome. I watched it, and I thought… meh. I've been trying to think what was so meh about it. Maybe it's because it wasn't as good as last weeks episode, which made me think, "Was it as good as any other episode this season?" Well, I didn't hate it as much as The Crystal Empire, so there's that. I guess I just didn't like Lighting Dust's character. I mean, I know I'm not supposed to like her, but she's sooooo one dimensional. I did like how Rainbow Dash grew some as a character.

Overall, I say it's an average episode, but I was expecting more.

One more thing: How does Rainbow Dash's non-pegasus friends not fall though the cloud?

How does Rainbow Dash’s non-pegasus friends not fall though the cloud?

Twilight's walk-on-clouds spell from Sonic Rainboom is probably permanent or something…

Obligatory Braeburn:

One more thing: How does Rainbow Dash’s non-pegasus friends not fall though the cloud?

We clearly see Rainbow Dash compacting the cloud and making it denser so that it could support those 4 ponies that could not walk on clouds for the split second they needed to spring back up. And before you complain about how that makes no sense, If you can accept filly Fluttershy having her much greater fall cushioned by a bed of butterflies then you can accept this.

disturbedbrony wrote:

To anyone who watched it when it was leaked…

Episode reaction time:

Damn it, they have managed to stop it, the awesome episode sequence is over. The combo is broken and the counter reset.
Well it couldn't go on forever of course…but there is one odd thing about this episode: I can agree with Millennial Dan this time, on almost every point. This has never happened before, I am scared.

Okay it wasn't the worst episode ever – polsky won't loose this trophee so fast, but it just wasn't as good as the rest of season 3 so far…

This episode was also Top Gun reenacted by pones (without the motorcycle).

NOTE: Since the episode has already been spoilered to hell, I wont bother with spoiler tags

Now that I've seen the episode, it ain't that bad. I'm not sure why some people are panicking over it. We saw the side of Dash we want to see more often: She's brash and competitive and acts like a jerk at times but that hides a side of her that really does care and is truly loyal to her friends.

When compared to another pegasus that absolutely doesn't care, her more compassionate side is really brought out and I enjoy seeing that.

More character development on Spitfire is a huge plus, we didn't get to see this militaristic side of her and I have to say that I really like Drill Sergeant Spitfire, I really do. I like it when the show proves that it's not entirely sunshine and roses. It has serious moments with serious characters and Spitfire is a very serious character, I hope to see more characters like that in the future.

I like that some minor characters were brought back too, such as Thunderlane.

So what that the other characters were just kinda there and not much more (except for Pinkie)? This was an RD episode, of course they don't get huge roles, though they needed to be there so RD could save all of them. Also was I the only one who immediately started thinking of Rainbowpie ships?

I'm just a little split on the ending. Part of me didn't want RD to quit just because of her reckless partner, that seemed like a shame (going by RD's reaction, I'd say the writers knew that too). I wanted to see her DEMAND that lead role off her partner. She got it in the end anyway, so that's good right? But on the other hand she got the role, so she's a wonderbolt….so where to from here? Isn't this like the CMC getting their cutie marks? The next set of episodes should be interesting to see if they follow this continuity.

As sad as it would have been for Dash to give up the chance of pursuing her dream, I would have been fine if the episode ended there, as it would have reinforced the morale that when dreams cause harm; one should reconsider pursuing them. But I'm also fine with the morale than when you show care and compassion for others, sometimes you will be rewarded.

The rest of you complaining are just jelly of Dash's awesome skills

This episode gets a 7/10 from me as well.

@Jolly Crimson Locks

Ok that's a good enough explanation for me

@SnowGlazer

I may have over reacted a bit. I can understand if someone wants to see something early, I just like to watch an episode when it officially comes out. I don't think I'm the only one around here who thinks that way.

>SnowGlazer
>Glazer
>Glaze
>Gl
>l

(Begin actual response:)
Oh yeah, I totally get that.

But as someone who works 25 hours a week, has school, and other commitments in life, watching pony as soon as I have time is always optimal, so forgive me if I take advantage of leaks when I can.

Also, I don't think Dash is technically a Wonder Bolt yet. All we know is she's still in the academy. Whether or not she succeeds is still not final.

I'm pretty sure you don't become a Navy SEAL after 3 days in basic training, and I'm pretty sure successfully not quitting isn't the only major accomplishment RD will need to perform to be fully admitted.

She's now officially on the path do becoming an actual Wonderbolt, that doesn't mean she's achieved her life's dream over the course of 22 minutes.

@Giga and Snow

Yea, I guess you are right. Good points.

WhitishCollar wrote:

This has never happened before, I am scared.

This is kind of interesting. With a couple of exceptions, many of you guys who liked this new episode still only rate it as just good, not great.

Well, needless to say I stand by my earlier critiques. There was just too much hand-waving going on with the details, and like Fifths said, the writing seemed clunky and even lazy. And yes, Pinkie's behavior was easily the most irritating it's ever been, even more so than in Luna Eclipsed. I would say her obsession was even a little disturbing.

Explosive Lasers wrote:

Maybe I’m just not the kind of person to leap for joy at the prospect of Dash having A SUPER BADASS EPISODE IN WHICH PINKIE IS ALL OVER HER, SHE GOES SUPER FAST, THE HARD ARMY DRILL SERGEANT SUCCUMBS AND RECOGNIZES HER AWESOME, THE ENTIRE ACADEMY LEARNS TO FOLLOW HER LEAD, AND SHE GOES SUPER FAST. ALSO SHE BEATS HER RIVAL BECAUSE HER RIVAL WENT FROM BEING LIKE HER TO BEING A TOTAL BITCH JUST FOR A CHANCE TO SHOW THAT RAINBOW DASH IS TOTES LEVEL-HEADED.

Pretty much this, and what Verbose said as well. And those're just a couple of ways that it bugged me. I was even a little flustered by the fact that Spitfire was handling the drill sergeant role. Along with the new voice, she just didn't seem even remotely like the same character we've seen in the past. She's always been sort of laid back, even seductive if all the fanart of her is any indication. Rather than break with what she's been portrayed as being like in prior episodes, why didn't they just get a different Wonderbolt to fill that role? She's their Captain, and that's a job for another rank.

And since the cloud thing keeps coming up, again, I'd like to remind you that in season one, the fact that only pegasi can interact with clouds was emphasized, and now it's practically ignored.

Butterflies catching Fluttershy has absolutely nothing to do with this, especially since she's a pegasus anyway, not to mention the only pony who's ever been lifted with such ease by small creatures.

You can find a few different ways to explain it away, but it still feels off. Did Twilight really cast the cloud walking spell again? Was it supposedly the forced density of the cloud? Why didn't Dash just catch them like she's always done before? What if it hadn't worked?

Think of it from the perspective of a kid; you'd be either scratching your head wondering what just happened, or you'd chalk it up to cartoon physics. The show has always done a pretty good job of world-building in the past, and these nitpicks sort of show the sloppiness this episode had in that department.

The most hilarious part is, you guys know I'm no great lover of Rainbow Dash; but the fact that this was an RD episode isn't really what bothers me about it at all. Sonic Rainboom is still one of my all-time favorites. This one simply left me feeling very dissatisfied.

Why are there so many pictures of communist Pinkie Pie?

Obligatory:

@ Dan, Especially considering so many people seemed to really dislike the episode, I am hesitant to say I really enjoyed it simply because of that. However, after hearing the discussion here before I saw the episode, I kept expecting it to turn irredeemably bad, and it never did. Now granted, I guess I agree with Verbose in that they basically just had RD run around and do stuff. For some, like me, I guess it was okay. That's just me.

As with the cloud bit, I noted that while watching the episode, but I feel the changing of the density of the cloud was sufficient. Really, its the physics of a cartoon cloud. Assuming that Pegasi have magic to control the weather and walk on clouds, I wouldn't put it beyond the realm of possibly that they can change the physical properties of a cloud to make it support something it wouldn't normally, at least temporarily.

I did find Spitfire's difference in attitude a little jarring, but I guess I always assumed there is a difference in how you would treat a simple fan who wants to hang out versus a new trainee. Since we hadn't really seen the second at all, I wasn't bothered much by it.
Pinkie… Well, I did laugh, but I did find her a little excessive.

@Dan:
Oi vey, you are making things up. Back in season 1 they specifically said that only pegasi can stand on clouds. Which, for the record, wasn't even true as we clearly see any other winged animal's weight is supported by them.

They didn't say anything about non-pegasi being physically incapable of any sort of interaction with clouds. They are physical objects in this universe, as such there is no reason whatsoever to believe they couldn't be densified to a point where they can support the weight of creatures who would otherwise fall through for a half-a-second. If there really was a total lack of attention payed to the physical consistency of clouds, they wouldn't have explicitly wrote in how RD densified it first.

And this, just, come one…

And that’s just one of the ways that it bugged me. I even was a little flustered by the fact that Spitfire was handling the drill sergeant role. Along with the new voice, she just didn’t seem even remotely like the same character we’ve seen in the past. She’s always been sort of laid back, even seductive if all the fanart of her is any indication. Rather than break with what she’s been portrayed as being like in prior episodes, why didn’t they just get a different Wonderbolt to fill that role? She’s their Captain, and that’s a job for another rank.

SHE. HAD. THREE. LINES. BEFORE. NOW.
I thought we where past this when people complained about Luna's personality. There was none, by extension there was nothing to ruin, and nobody but yourself to blame if you're disappointed.

Besides, she's in the military, she's a drill sergeant, the hard-ass attitude is strictly for the trainee's benefit. If you need a bandaid for your headcanon try this one on for size:

And for glob's sake, just because we admit the episode could have been better doesn't mean you're opinions are justified. It's easy to come up with complaints, really reeeaaally easy. You're trying to tell me that a couple annoying scenes with Pinkie, Spitfire's newly reviled canonical role in the series, and a god damn CLOUD make this episode more disappointing then King Sombra?! No, just no. This isn't about me defending an episode because I like it, I thought it was pretty good despite it's flaws, this is about cutting the bullsh*t nitpicks and giving every episode a fair shake.

Finally got around to watching the episode, and I have to say…

Meh.

I understand that they went for a military academy feel, and I liked that. I also understand why that meant that there needed to be more action scenes, and although I have to go with Verbose on not liking them as much, it was okay. Besides, it kind of helped to show that Lightning was as good as Dash, if not better.

But it just felt like an empty episode. If anything, it was predicable. As soon as Lightning went maximum speed, I knew that they'd be teamed up, Lightning would put others in danger for her own sake, and that Dash would try to quit because she didn't agree with how she thought things worked and would be redeemed afterwards. Not even kidding, I knew more or less how the whole story would go in about 10 minutes. Most of the episodes don't do that, which is what I like about the series. This one… it was so predictable that it really took down points for me.

And about the cloud thing… Twilight has backup plans for her backup plans; she's just that neurotic about safety. If she knew she was going to a floating pegasus island, I feel like she would have used the cloud spell.

Almost forgot – I didn't see the lack of Dash's character, Fifths. If anything, I think it was her character that helped her see how bad of a pony Lightning was. I'd go as far as to say that Lightning was Dash's foil; she was almost like a carbon copy of the old Dash who took too many risks. In fact, I feel like this episode helped me see just how much Dash has grown since S1E1.

You'd have to be a complete idiot to complain about character inconsistency with Spitfire. She was a fucking drill sergeant in this episode. Do you seriously expect here to have a laid back personality when she's on duty?

@Dan, do you really expect Dash to be able to catch 5 ponies her own size in mid flight while they are falling at high speeds? I know she is a strong pegasus, but for god's sake she is not that strong, and that's probably why the whole cloud thing was written in.

I would agree with Twili here on Dash's character in this episode. I can understand people not liking the way she was written in this because it didn't feel like "normal Rainbow Dash" to them, but in my opinion Dash's character shined in this episode because of Lightning Dust being Dash's "former self"

@Dan

You are getting yourself all worked up buddy. You seem to be going out of your way to try and convince us that this episode is inherently bad. Need I remind you it's entirely subjective. Here's how I see it:

I give the writers plenty of leniency since they aren't Steven King. I'm amused, not bothered by Pinkies craziness. RD can be as awesome as she wants. I welcome characters like Spitfire to show different sides of their personalities in different situations. I want to see the same characters more developed than more new ones. Clouds are subject to cartoon logic along with everything else and the kids don't give a damn.

I thought the episode was good, not great, but good and that's final. Lets not try to enforce polarized perspectives on this subject okay?

The fandom and subculture difference was a bad choice of myself, and also incorrect (I asked), so I'm giving you that one. Be proud, you got an advantage.

But you still failed to counter my other argument, the one which I asked and got confirmed as legit. The list is based off memetic content and major events that happened in 2012. Considering that Season 3 only started last month, and that the MLP fandom hasn’t really staged massive events or created new trends this year, it didn’t make it on. It's as fucking simple as that.

Calling two million raised a minor accomplishment (it were 24,000+ backers, thank you for giving false information) for Homestuck's position, that's just a bad comparison. Can you point me towards when bronies raised that much or any other fandom for that matter?

All the fandoms on that list either started this year, showed major growth this year, had notable events this year, or anything related to that. Something which MLP failed compared to all those others. If we had to list fandoms who were just, well, there, we had to list only old and big ones and leave all present notable ones in the dust.

Amanda already said that the name "Top Ten Fandoms" wasn't the best choice, but it was simply something best to go with based on the other list names. And she wasn't too certain with the result either, because fandoms aren't easy to list and the risk of errors is simply there.

So maybe the list isn't how it should've been, but I still say those that made the list deserved it, and MLP did not if it would. Last year, without doubt, but not now.

I'm also buzzed (more like drunk) atm, so not all choice of words in this post is something I would post sober, but I do stand by my opinion and disagreement with your comment-section-level one.

EVERYBODY IS A FUCKING DICK AND I WIN THIS ARGUMENT BECAUSE REASONS!

Er, wait, copy-pasted the wrong blerb.

EVERYBODY BESIDES ME IS A FUCKING DICK AND I WIN THIS ARGUMENT BECAUSE REASONS AND MY CHEST HAIR IS THE SEXIEST!

There it is.

Anyways, I didn't dislike the episode because Spitfire was inconsistent, because of nitpicky things (clouds), or because it was an RD episode. I disliked it because it wasn't funny, it was very predictable, it was very grating to watch, and the action was more overdone than it usually was with the flight sequences. Normally trying to make the flying super badass isn't entertaining to me, and in this episode it was even worse. I disliked it because it seemed the show was trying to be something I don't enjoy. Not saying you can't enjoy it, I just don't like it when the show plays up the flying as being god-tier or whatever.

As for this episode being better than Crystal Empire…

King Sombrero was a bold attempt to portray the Latino culture in ML- What do you mean he's not Spanish in canon?

What do you mean his name is Sombra?

What do you mean 'did I take my medication'?

Fuck you, I liked Crystal Empire. It made me laugh on several occasions, the door was fucking badass, and there was a lot of world-building. More than this episode can say!

Edit: @Random:

Bro,

Do you even convention?

And don't get me started on the charities…

Conventions, as notable as they may be, are something each fandom does. You are asking us to list Final Fantasy and just around 90% of all animes here.

As I said, compared to the other fandoms on that list, MLP just didn't stand out. Maybe the list is not 100% correct in order, but those that made it deserve it. The issue people are having with that list isn't that they believe the order is incorrect, it's because their precious fandom (a bloo bloo) didn't make the list or didn't make it high enough for them.

It's also quantity compared to quality. For a fandom as big as MLP to raise 2 million (if they would), that wouldn't be such a big accomplishment compared to fandoms like Homestuck. The quantity of MLP is just bigger, just it simply would've been a lot easier. But Homestuck managed to raise it, and not any other big fandom (not just mentioning MLP there, anything like Star Trek or Star Wars).

EVERYBODY BESIDES ME IS A FUCKING DICK AND I WIN THIS ARGUMENT BECAUSE REASONS AND MY CHEST HAIR IS THE SEXIEST!

You like Rarity and "regular" Celestia, don't compare me to your plebeian tastes.

@Lasers
I think you misunderstand. I friggin' love the season 3 opener, and yes, it was considerably better then this episode. But as far as episode-breaking problems go King Blandbra did a whole lot more damage to those episodes then an intrusive Pinkie cameo or a cloud could do to this one.

As for the 'overemphasis on flying and action'? Uuuuh, I didn't catch that, not sure where you're getting that impression. It's like saying Suited for Success has an overemphasis on dress making.

@RandomMan:
Go home RandomMan, you're drunk.

…fine.

@Gigatoast:

I actually quite enjoyed Sombra. He didn't have to have a long-ass monologue, and he wasn't supposed to be the focus of the episode, anyways. He made me laugh fairly hard, though maybe that was unintentional, and he also had a design I, personally, had no qualms with.

That said, one does not simply like an episode and dislike a villain. That's like enjoying a fandom but not liking the show it's cen- What the fuck do you mean there's bronies like that?

Sorry guys, I would read through all that, but scanning through here it just looks like everyone is jumping on me for not really liking the episode, so it's probably not worth it methinks. Just to be clear, I'm not worked up at all. I was, as I said before, merely providing my viewpoint. But hey, if every review of every episode isn't allowed to be absolutely glowing, have it your way. One could likely compile a much more exhaustive, detailed, and clear-cut analysis explaining more concisely what makes this episode a weak one, but you guys just wouldn't want to hear it I guess. Whatever. I really don't care that much.

For some reason though, I have come to expect a little more maturity around here. I never said you people couldn't like it. Why is it that presenting a few objections is suddenly getting me hung out to dry?

Just take it easy, it's not that big a deal if we don't see eye to eye on this. I leave you with this nugget:

@Dan

All well and good, you are allowed to critique. Sorry for the misunderstanding. No hard feelings right?

True, true.
But still, the episode could have been butter, but it is still good nevertheless.
Although the ending with Rainbow Dash in Spitfire's office complaining about the acceptance of recklessness in the academy/military/boot camp was a bit hypocritical, I support Crimson's opinion about Lighting Dust being Dash's former self and thus developed her character even more.

I can't find good gifs.
Hold up, let me look for one.
Shit, didn't find one.

Found one, here's it now.
Let me end this with this gif:

That is Shoetaloo.

Say hi, Shoetaloo.