Month of Positives: Week 4 - Characters!

Welcome to the last week of Month of Positives, updating early because I felt motivated to do so after reading three to four other Fimfiction.net blogs, and because my hay fever's making it hard to think so writing 'Magnetism' is proving a little troublesome. In the case of this post however, while I have to create my fanfic progression section fresh on the spot, the top ten characters and favourites character trivia was created before I began suffering from chronic hay fever. Oh, and before I begin I would just like to say that you should not worry about my current hay fever problem, though it is annoying and hard to breathe I have had much worse, like that one case where my eyes popped out. Oh how I abused that incident to my advantage.

Now, while recent writing of 'Magnetism' has been slow, before the pollen in Britain spiked I managed to complete all but one section of chapter 1, and though slow, have managed to write up quite a bit of this last section. I also looked over the rough plans of my second chapter of 'Magnetism' and realised that, with exception to some great jokes concerning Fluttershy's animals and a great Angel Bunny charades scene, most of it will be new content. It appears I can't take the easy route on that one but no worries, I've got until August before uploading begins. Also, while my brain went dead with writing of 'Magnetism' I tried to start my edits of 'Thank You Cider'. I only managed to note down some of the key edits, and I'm sure I will spot more things to improve once I begin the editing process but I've got an outline so that when I feel motivated I can fix up the few mistakes of my fanfic. I wonder if I should try and submit it to Equestria Daily afterwards, would be neat to see it on there and it would certainly boost my fanfic's popularity. Enough of my writing progress, it's time for my top ten favourite characters.

10) Apple Bloom – Apple Bloom’s always been one of my favourite characters. Well to be fair, all the Cutie Mark Crusaders have been much loved by me, I enjoy their appearances in episodes and tend to really like the episodes with them as the focus a lot. As for Apple Bloom, I like her enthusiasm demonstrated in ‘Call of the Cutie’ and her open-mindedness demonstrated in ‘Bridle Gossip’. Her skill in carpentry is unexpected and unique for a girls cartoon, and like with all the apple family, I love her accent. Her interactions with the other Crusaders and Zecora also proves to be entertaining as well.

9) Fancy Pants – Monocle! I should probably expand on that but simply put, I’m British, Fancy Pants is the most British character in the show, and it’s nice to see a rich character that is in turn nice. He also has a monocle which as everyone knows makes him a wizard (you get the reference and you are full of win).

8) Rover – My favourite of the diamond dogs, which is in turn my favourite race within My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The diamond dogs, with Rover, Fido and Spot in particular, are the antagonists I most want to see return mostly because I feel they would make good recurring foes. There not too powerful like Discord or Chrysalis and so such episodes won’t rely on a Deus-Ex-Machina to save the day,  are nearer to Ponyville than the teen dragons, and are more openly criminal than the likes of the Flim Flam Brothers or Gilda.

But enough of what I’d like to see from the show and the diamond dogs, let’s get back to why I think Rover is awesome. First off he has my favourite design of any character in the series, it fits his personality well and I find it cool. His raspy voice is immediately recognisable; he clearly presents himself as the leader of his group, and has a surprising amount of wit and intelligence despite being fooled a few times by Rarity. It’s easy to see him both as an intimating villain and as a comical one, and is the one-shot character I most want to see again.

7) Sweetie Belle – Originally Sweetie Belle was my least favourite among the Cutie Mark Crusaders, this still meant she was within the top ten, but I preferred Apple Bloom over her, until ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’ which did wonders for my appreciation of this character. I like how, despite being a bit slow and spaced out, she isn’t depicted as being stupid and actually shows a lot of initiative in cases such as ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’. Her interactions with Rarity are the some of the most believable sibling interactions I have seen in a piece of fiction, and while she does cause trouble with her attempts to help you see how she is just trying to be helpful, and does hold a lot of admiration for her sister (for instance, despite having little talent for dressmaking, she wants to be good at it because she wants to be like her sister).

As season 2 has progressed her lines of dialogue have become sweeter, cuter, and funnier with the “Oh come on!” being one of the best executed lines of the entire show.

6) Fluttershy – I like animals. I’m not necessarily good with them but me and my family have always had pets in the house and I generally prefer their company to other people. Thus part of the reason I like Fluttershy, I can respect her preference to spend time with the animals than other ponies, relate to her days of being bullied (although my case was more people stealing my stuff to prevent me from working in the midst of class), and I generally like kind and shy characters in most stories/anime/cartoons/games.

5) Rainbow Dash – Though I’m not usually a fan of fast, athletic characters I do like proud characters. Her personality also allows for some of the better interactions with other characters, either through showing off her good points or through creating conflict and thus producing a more interesting story to follow.

I’ve also been surprised to find out that Rainbow Dash is the character I feel the most sympathy for, her being upset is to me, genuinely sadder than seeing any other character upset, even my favourite. She’s also the character most likely to take a fighting option to solve a problem something that I approve of very much, and her interactions with Fluttershy, even without shipping goggles, tend to be heart warming. Furthermore filly Rainbow Dash is the cutest filly so far.

4) Spike – He’s quite noticeable as the only male main character but is also surprisingly diverse. At times he is the young child he is and at others he is the most level headed probably because he ends up seeing most situations from outside the conflict. I love his charmingly sweet and surprisingly real affections for Rarity as well as his little brother to older sister interactions with Twilight. At times he can be surprisingly effeminate with wishes for greater masculinity, and at others he shows off his masculinity through the finer art of being a true gentleman.

3) Angel Bunny – Anyone here like Bender from Futurama, or Dan from Dan vs. They are jerks but you can’t help but love them. That is what Angel Bunny is, he is a lovable jerk. There is the ironic joke of him being a bully while being a cute little rabbit and the fact that his owner (although at times it seems he is the owner) is the element of kindness. He enjoys being evil as it were, it’s fun to be evil; however he also knows when to limit himself, call it quits, and be kind, particularly to Fluttershy who he is constantly trying to get to stand up for herself and voice her opinion (people seem to forget his moments in ‘Ticket Master’, ‘Dragonshy’ and ‘A Bird in the Hoof’). He just doesn’t like doing it because it’s no fun being the nice guy.

2) Scootaloo – I do not understand exactly why I like this character so much. I can understand why I like Scootaloo, I like her very fitting voice, her personality, her colour scheme (does help that my favourite colour is orange), and a lot of the smaller things such as lines of dialogue, interactions with other characters, and movement an actions I find enjoyable but I do not know why I like her to degree that I place her as my second favourite character.

Even odder, is how I’ve never understood the concept of role models or aspiring towards another person, and yet Scootaloo’s admiration of Rainbow Dash is a really lovable trait and is one of my favourite things to see the fandom effect, such as when they exaggerate it into Stalkerloo territory (which I can completely understand). So perhaps it is the culmination of all these liked factors, and how factors I dislike in other characters I appreciate here, that lead me to love Scootaloo so much.

1) Twilight Sparkle – Pinkie Pie and her ‘Twilight is my bestest friend’ song explains it best, She’s the cutest, smartest, all around best pony, though it was not until episode 8, ‘Look Before You Sleep’ that she became my favourite character and has remained there ever since. I had always liked the character, she was intelligent, had a love of reading, and was an anti-social without the need for some tragic back-story to explain it, she just found everypony else to be bothersome. So I was immediately able to relate to this character, I found her likable, and I enjoyed seeing such a character as the lead protagonist.

Then episode 8 came along and I found out how adorkable she was. Sure, I also found out that she is prone to certain cases of naivety, which makes sense considering she’s been a shut-in most her life, which I liked, and I could relate to her general lack of street smarts, but episode 8 was the first episode which showed just how cute she could be. So on top of a winning personality, she also became the cutest thing in the entire show and well, Twilight Sparkle became best pony.

Normally I would end here but the subject of my favourite characters is one I find myself enjoying the opportunity to discuss. Also, unlike the last time I discussed my favourite characters in which I listed my top 20 in order to flaunt how different my favourite characters list was to everyone else’s (far more male and non-pony characters on it than I expect anyone else to have), this list is missing three very important characters from it and so I would like to clear that up with a little bit of trivia. Many of the characters I love and like I consider equal in how much I like them, the list above was created with the idea of "If I was forced to choose with only one character being allowed in each spot" but if I were allowed to have characters share spots then the list would go like the following;

10) Pinkie Pie, Cranky Doodle Donkey.
9) Apple Bloom, Rarity, Applejack.
8) Fancy Pants.
7) Rover.
6) Sweetie Belle.
5) Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy.
4) Spike.
3) Angel Bunny.
2) Scootaloo.
1) Twilight Sparkle.

Also worth noting, if I wanted too I could list out my top 35 favourite characters without too much difficulty. Where some would be in comparison to others is a little hard to say however I know which characters I like/love before they begin to enter the neutral territory. I could add in how my favourite characters have changed, who I liked before and around what time/episode each character got into the top ten but I'll save that for another day. For now I would just like to ask of your opinions on my favourite characters, and who you consider your favourite characters? You don't have to list them in order, that is a hard task to accomplish with so many great characters in this show, but I'd like it to be the subject of discussion. This here ends the Month of Positives but don't worry, I'm not stopping these weekly blog updates. In fact, to counterpoint my Month of Positives, next week will be the start of the Month of Negatives, where I discuss my ten least favourite episodes, songs, pairings, and characters and I'll tell you now, trying to come up with a bottom ten for this show is really hard. Cheerio!

My Top Twenty MLP:FiM Characters!

As it will be a while before I can upload my blog on Fimfiction.net I decided that I might as well upload the half of it that I planned to upload here earley, before my Fimfiction.net blog. This isn't an old or recent episode musing but a list of my top twenty characters with a brief explanation as to why I like them (I would go into more detail with each one but I didn't want to make the post too long).

20) Mr. Cake – Yes, this character probably would not be on this list if it were not for the fanfic ‘Old Friends’ by Bellum Civille (by the way you should go read that fanfic, even if it is on hiatus currently and it’s easier to read on Fanfiction.net) however there are several canon parts that make him likable. His design and voice are instantly recognisable and I’ve enjoyed his humorous moments in ‘Baby Cakes’ and ‘MMMystery on the Friendship Express’.

19) Tank – I like tortoises and this is a loyal and determined one who travels via a helicopter blade mechanism. I don’t see whats not to like about him.

18) Fido – I love the diamond dogs as a race and I really like the overall feel of Fido. He’s big, broad, and has a deep voice but he isn’t a lackey or considered dumber than the other two of the trio and I like that.

17) Flam – Why is Flam on the list but not Flim? The moustache. Otherwise I like the character for his vibrant attitude and their contribution to the show via a great song.

16) Zecora – I may not like rhymes but I like zebras, and I in particular like the sagely Zecora and her role as a sort of secondary mentor to Twilight.

15) Cranky Doodle Donkey – He reminds me of Carl Fredricksen and anything that reminds me of Up cannot be bad. Furthermore I can relate to the character, love how he’s presented as preferring solitude but with good reason and never comes across as mean. I also like his dedication to love. Seriously, travelling across Equestria for your entire life for a girl you met for one day, that’s deserving of respect.

14) Pinkie Pie – I know a certain friend of mine is displeased at seeing this pink pony at only 14 but that doesn’t mean I don’t love Pinkie Pie. She’s a brilliant character, hilarious and crazy but with a ton of depth to her. She’s only at this point because of characters I like more and the fact that I probably would not get along well with Pinkie Pie if I were to encounter her (anti-social as I am).

13) Applejack – Of all the characters Applejack is the one I most want to hear a solo from because I love her accent in the singing moments. She’s honest and stubborn, both traits I like, and though not a farmer myself I have respect for those who are.

12) Rarity – She often shines for having the best lines in most of the episodes but another reason I like her is that she feels the most balanced. She has pro’s and she has flaws, and this makes her the most believable character, the sort you could actually encounter and range from spending good days and bad days with. I also love how overdramatic she can be, and along with her speech, she often steals the spotlight almost as much as Pinkie’s comedy.

11) Chief Thunderhooves – Just one line and I came to love this character. His declaration of it ‘being the worst performance he had ever seen’ just had me in tears and I like how reasonable they presented him. He had demands and he wasn’t backing down from them but he also considered other options and listened to those around him.

10) Apple Bloom – Once again I love the accent but also the enthusiasm the character has. Her skill is an interesting one and I’ve enjoyed her interactions with the crusaders, her sister, and Zecora.

9) Fancy Pants – Monocle! I should probably expand on that but simply put, I’m British, Fancy Pants is the most British character in the show, and it’s nice to see a rich character that is in turn nice. He also has a monocle.

8) Rover – My favourite of the diamond dogs. I like his design and raspy, recognisable voice, as well as his seemingly greater intellect among his kin.

7) Sweetie Belle – Originally Sweetie Belle was my least favourite among the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and would have been below Apple Bloom on this list however ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’ did wonders for my appreciation of this character. I like how, despite being a bit slow and spaced out, she isn’t depicted as being stupid and actually shows a lot of initiative in cases such as ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’. “Oh come on!” is also one of the best executed lines of the entire show.

6) Fluttershy – I like animals. I’m not necessarily good with them but me and my family have always had pets in the house and I generally prefer their company to other people. Thus part of the reason I like Fluttershy, I can respect her preference to spend time with the animals than other ponies, relate to her days of being bullied (although my case was more people stealing my stuff to prevent me from working in the midst of class), and I generally like kind and shy characters in most stories/anime/cartoons/games.

5) Rainbow Dash – Though I’m not usually a fan of fast, athletic characters I do like proud characters. Her personality also allows for some of the better interactions with other characters, either through showing off her good points or through creating conflict and thus producing a more interesting story to follow.

4) Spike – He’s quite noticeable as the only main male character but is also surprisingly diverse. At times he is the young child he is and at others he is the most level headed probably because he ends up seeing most situations from outside the conflict. I love his charmingly sweet and surprisingly real affections for Rarity as well as his little brother to older sister interactions with Twilight. At times he can be surprisingly effeminate with wishes for greater masculinity, and at others he shows off his masculinity through the finer art of being a true gentleman.

3) Angel Bunny – Anyone here like Bender from Futurama, or Dan from Dan Vs. They are jerks but you can’t help but love them. That is what Angel Bunny is, he is a lovable jerk. There is the ironic joke of him being a bully while being a cute little rabbit and the fact that his owner (allthough at times it seems he is the owner) is the bearer of kindness. He enjoys being evil as it were, it’s fun to be evil; however he also knows when to limit himself, call it quits, and be kind, particularly to Fluttershy who he is constantly trying to get to stand up for herself and voice her opinion (people seem to forget his moments in ‘Ticket Master’, ‘Dragonshy’ and ‘A Bird in the Hoof’). He just doesn’t like doing it because it’s no fun being the nice guy.

2) Scootaloo – While indeed Scootaloo is one of the characters most affected by fandom in regards of how much I like her this would not remove her from my top ten (without fandom she would probably be my sixth favourite character). Her attitude is one feature I like, and though I can never phantom the concept of role models, having never aspired to be like anyone in my entire life, I do find her admiration of Rainbow Dash both a sweet and amusing trait (even more so when you enter Stalkerloo territory). I also find a few of her moments and lines to be more memorable than others.

1) Twilight Sparkle – Twilight Sparkle has been liked by me since the first episode for her intellect, her passion for reading, and for being anti-social but it was ‘Look Before You Sleep’ with her naivety, lack of street-smarts as it were, and absolute adorkableness (which makes me claim that she is the cutest character in the show) that grounded her as my favourite character. I’m surprised at my ability to relate to the character and I appreciate seeing the intelligent, bookworm character being the lead protagonist.

There you have it, my top twenty characters. Will this list change in anyway by the last two episodes of season two? Probably not but is a possibility. Will this list change by the end of season three? More than likely through new additions, so I will upload an updated version of this list when season three ends but for now these are my twenty most loved characters from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.