Ponyville Confidential
The Cutie Mark Crusaders start a gossip column under the name Gabby Gums, but find it might not be worth the pain the stories cause the other ponies.
Season 2 Episode 23
Air Date: March 31, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Pinkie Pie's Shoutout #10
Ponyville Confidential
The Cutie Mark Crusaders start a gossip column under the name Gabby Gums, but find it might not be worth the pain the stories cause the other ponies.
Season 2 Episode 23
Air Date: March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Fluttershy's Melodies #2
All awesome songs! We have one from WoodenToaster, a remix, and a really nice dubstep!
1.Fruits of Her Labour
2.One Trick Pony Remix
3.Liquid Cobalt-Shy and Lonely Ft. Fluttershy
1.Fruits of Her Labour
2.One Trick Pony Remix
3.Liquid Cobalt-Shy and Lonely Ft. Fluttershy
Pinkie Pie's Shoutout #9
Derpy has been modified! The Last Roundup was released on ITunes but sadly she was modified... Rainbow Dash doesn't name her and her voice is different. Watch it after the break! However, the Frriendship Express DVD is still Derpy.
SAVE Derpy!
Kreoss, an FIM Animator from Topdraw, showed a bit of information about the Derpy change on Deviant Art. You can find it below!
It seems there has been alot of buzz about Derpy being "fixed". I saw the New version of Derpy in "The Last Round-Up" and I do admit it didn't settle well with me. I still enjoyed the original. I didn't like the reason why they had her change. It didn't seem at all offensive in my opinion. When I first saw the scene in the animatic, I literally burst with joy. But I had a feeling that it might not settle with some fans and some people. Especially since people already have their own version of Derpy and people might get the wrong idea of her character.
Its not often that cartoons show fan content. Cause sometimes when you include Fan content, it usually can result to something negative (to fans or to others). And sometimes it also endangers the identity/essence of the show. Or if people like it, they will probably expect a lot more.To the point they might expect TOO much. So you could imagine my surprise when they decided to name Derpy and give her a voice.
Derpy has became more than just some fancy Easter egg in the show. She's became an Icon, a symbol to the fans of MLP:FIM. Though Derpy was created in a studio, her character was created by the fans. You can probably say that she represents all Bronies everywhere. Fans have enjoyed Derpy whenever they see her in the background until the point when she talked. The entire studio loves her as well. I was there in one of those Livestream chatrooms when people first heard her talk. It was quite entertaining how happy people were. So its no surprise to see people get really upset by this.
In a way, I understand why majority of fans are upset but blaming, pointing fingers and throwing hate around is not the way to do this. You're forgetting your own motto "Love and Tolerance". You bronies are one of inspiration and our greatest achievement. Don't sully your name by spreading Hate and intolerance. Remember, Tolerance is not the same as acceptance. If you are upset with something, display it in a more positive way. You'll get your message across much better than lashing it out with hate. Show some respect. Show some humility.
Oh I also want to address on a artist name Yamino. I've heard that she has been garnered a lot of hate by the Brony Community due to her not liking Derpy's portrayal. Let it be known, that she had NOTHING to do with the sudden change. She expressed an opinion on Derpy. That is all. She did not ask me to do this or anyone on the staff. I had to say this because the hate she's been receiving is unnecessary. So leave her be.
Also don't spam notes and messages to the people who work on the show. You're probably not going to get much out of it.
On the issue on Derpy whether she'll have the same Derp face expression and stuff. As an animator of the show, rest assured, she'll be fine. The show will still go on and I hope you will continue to support the show. Though Derpy is a great character, she is not essentially the reason why the show is awesome (though she is one of the Reasons). If Derpy never existed on that fateful scene in the first episode, would MLP be a bad show? Remember MLP is a great show because for what it is. I didn't know about Derpy until someone from the Studio pointed it out. I hope you'll still enjoy the show no matter what happens.
I hope this message will ease some of your minds. Thank you.
Hasbro has a reply from this Derpy takedown! Take a look!
"The 'My Little Pony Friendship is Magic' series has always been about acceptance and inclusion, and the series strives to convey that through the playful antics of a diverse cast of characters," Hasbro spokeswoman Nicole Angello told us over email. "Some viewers felt that aspects of the episode 'The Last Roundup' did not stay true to the core message of friendship which is the heart and soul of the series. Hasbro Studios decided to make slight audio alterations to this single episode."
Also, over on Gawker an article has appeared about this Derpy problem as well. You can find the article here! Remember that there's some negative in the article though!
Here is Amy Keating Roger's response to Derpy Hooves! Thank you!
Whew, this controversy has been overwhelming and exhausting!
I actually had no idea that fans were really upset about the "Derpy Change" until your email. And I didn't actually know about the change until I got an email last week from a fan telling me about it!
Let me try and put some rumors at rest and calm the fans. And to do that, let's go back to the beginning.
When I first wrote this episode, the character under such harsh scrutiny was named Ditzy Doo. We had already established in previous episodes that she was clumsy (she is not the pony you want on your moving crew). And we named her Ditzy Doo thinking of her as a being a bit dingy.
The scene I wrote was originally longer and had a flashback explaining exactly what Ditzy Doo had done to damage Town Hall. She and Rainbow Dash were "Bucking Bolts" out of the clouds during a storm. Ditzy Doo was bucking too close to Ponyville central. Rainbow kept trying to yell over the noisy bucking for Ditzy to move away from town. But Ditzy could not hear her and thought that Rainbow was complimenting her for her great buck bolting. Ditzy then hit Town Hall with a bolt. And, thus, the damage.
For the second draft, I was asked to change Ditzy's name to Derpy as a "tip of the hat" to the fans. So, not knowing that Derpy meant anything beyond klutzy and clumsy, I did as requested And then I was finished with this episode.
I had nothing to do with the original voice casting. In my mind, she was ditzy, as her original name implied. But that's not anything I was ever involved with MLP. The scene was made shorter because the script was too long and because the story wasn't about Ditzy/Derpy. It was about Applejack.
When this episode first aired, I did not see it until after I started getting emails either thanking me or berating me for Derpy's portrayal. The angry emails really freaked me out because I knew that I had not written a scene that could possibly be interpreted as being insensitive to people with disabilities.
So, when I got home, I watched the episode. I saw that the scene was shorter, which did not surprise me. That happens all the time. I listened to her voice and it was deeper than I expected. However, I was not offended by any part of the scene in any way.
But I got about 10 emails saying how offended folks were. People labeled me an "ableist" (a word I'd never heard of) and said that I was being insensitive to the disabled by calling this character "derpy." I then did a search on what derpy meant and the first things that came up were "embarrassing" and "awkward" which is what I thought. But then when I did more in-depth searches, I discovered that one definition is "retarded."
Now, you have to realize that reading that made my heart sink. My son Soren (of Soarin' fame) is severely disabled. We do not use the word "retarded" in our house because it really has become an offensive slur. And while I knew that it was only a minority of people that defined "derpy" this way, it still upset me that I was the writer that put that name out there. It was painfully ironic and goes against the fact that I'm an advocate for the disabled.
I also want to note here that while I got 10 negative emails, I also got about 200 positive ones! I knew that the majority of fans were not offended. I got emails from fans with siblings with disabilities and parents of kids with disabilities and fans who had disabilities themselves and none of them were offended. At first, I tried to answer all these emails, but then I just became too overwhelmed. Still, I want to thank you all for your support!
But I was not the only one getting contacted regarding Derpy's portrayal. Positive and negative feedback was also being sent to Hasbro and the Hub. Someone at the Hub who knows about my personal connection with disabilities contacted me asking my opinion. We talked about various options of what to do.
1. Do nothing.
2. Cut Rainbow saying "Derpy" but keep Derpy's voice.
3. Cut Rainbow saying "Derpy" and change Derpy's voice.
4. Find a creative way to change Derpy's name in a future episode
And I was honestly torn about which action should be taken. I went back and forth and back again. It was a no win situation. Fans were going to be offended no matter what. And while I was not personally offended by the scene, I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone that was. I know that if I was offended by something that I thought was disparaging against the disabled, I would want my voice heard. But then I also knew that an insensitive portrayal of someone with disabilities was never our intention, so why change it?
When that call ended, no decision was made. And it was not my decision to make. I am just a freelance writer here, not a network executive. That decision was up to Hasbro and the Hub. I am sure they weighed what was best for the MLP brand, the show, the network, and they may have even weighed in my personal situation. Maybe they wanted to spare me from getting anymore more hate mail and people calling me offensive names. It may have been only 10 emails, but each one made me feel absolutely horrible If the effect on me was part of their motivation for the change, I think that's really amazing, incredibly sensitive, and very commendable.
In the end, Derpy's voice was re-voiced to be more ditzy. And while, again, I had nothing to do with the casting, this is closer to the voice that was in my head. And as for cutting her name, if it truly can be defined as "retarded," then I am personally glad that name is gone. I wouldn't want my writing to perpetuate children--our target audience--to call other children "derpy" with that meaning behind it.
So, I know the fans are upset. But please don't be upset at Hasbro or the Hub or DHX Media or the "Anti-Derpy" fans or me. Let's remember what the message of MLP:FiM is--tolerance, kindness, understanding, and, most importantly, friendship.
All my best,
Amy
Happy Derpy Day everypony! Share muffins, letters, and friendship!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Pinkie Pie's Shoutout #8
Character Screen Time Analysis!
Now for some polls! These were at Reddit from the orginal creator!
Now for some polls! These were at Reddit from the orginal creator!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Pinkie Pie's Shoutout #7
Hi, I'm Thanqol. I like ponies.
As some of you may know, March 1st is Derpy Day, the greatest holiday of all time. Derpy Day has the following rules:
- You must eat a muffin.
- You must take a picture of yourself walleyed.
- You must write someone a letter.
I, however, want to give something more back to this wonderful, messed-up world and all it's folks. You know the saying that there's no such thing as a free lunch? Screw that.
The world should totally be a place where you get a free lunch. The world should totally be a place where awesome things happen to you for no reason. And if the world isn't like that already, I'm going to do what I can to make it like that. That's why I'm running Operation: Indiscriminate Friendship.
THE RULES:
- I must distribute 50+ muffins to random passers by on the street.
- I must convince as many random strangers as possible to sing Pinkie Pie's "Singing Telegram" for the camera, which will be compiled into a video which will be uploaded to Youtube
- I must collect as many nice, hopeful and inspirational letters from people from the internet as possible and distribute these to random mailboxes all over town.
To prove I'm not bluffing, here's the link to last year's Derpy Day, where the song of choice was "Evil Enchantress" http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL63DBFF1BFF384B78&feature=mh_lolz
Where you come in:
I want you all to write a letter to a stranger. You'll have no idea who you're writing to because it'll be printed off and dropped into a random mailbox somewhere in Canberra. Maybe it won't get read, but maybe it will, and if it does it might just bring a smile to someone's face.
You can make them as long or as short as you'd like, but try to keep them less than an A4 page each. I'll also be collecting all these letters into a big document to put up for everyone to read at the end of the event.
Send all of these letters to indiscriminatefriendship@mail.com
(Note: Don't send attachments; put the text in the body of the email)
Optional Objectives:
If you feel I'm onto something, here are some things you can do to help make this event a little more indiscriminate.
- I need a poster image. I can design one myself but it'll be mediocre. It needs to promise free muffins in big, eye catching letters and not be too obviously pony related. I'll put any submissions in the compilation post.
- Sing "Singing Telegram" yourself, or convince any friends or passerby to do so on your behalf. If you know anyone with an awesome voice now's the time to call in a favour. I'll add any such videos to the completed Youtube playlist; email the links to the same email address.
- Print off and distribute your own copies of the Letters to a Stranger
- Hold your own parallel Derpy Day where you distribute your own set of free muffins.
Thank you for your time, everypony. Let's make the best pony proud.
Yours truly,
- Thanqol
Pinkie Pie's Shoutout #6
We have some more Fluttershy!
Fluttershy needs to overcome her self consciousness in order to help Rainbow Dash and the other pegasi with the Rainy Season.
Title: Hurricane Fluttershy
Air Date: March 24, 2012
Pinkie Pie's Shoutout #5
Hi everypony! In case you haven't heard, Operation Sharing Kindness is a My Little Pony community donation drive which collects funds from generous ponies like you and makes donations to charities under the pony name! Due to an unfortunate crashed solid state drive, the project came to a screeching halt over Christmas, but the lost work has been reassembled and everything is full steam ahead!
First off DONATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR COLLECTION! LINK:
^ You can use that link to contribute to our cause! To those who have pledged in the past, I am very sorry, most of our pledge list was lost in the crash, but I hope I can still count on you to donate!
Our goal is five thousand dollars... I hope we can reach that amount! We can do it, everypony!
The opening of the donation page is not the only thing to celebrate, though! We're going to be beginning our STEAM Game Raffle as well!
THE GREAT GAME RAFFLE
If you donate ten dollars to Operation Sharing Kindness and add "Sign me up for the Raffle!" to your donation description, you will be entered into our STEAM game raffle! Every ten dollars equals once chance to win, so if you donate more, you will have a greater chance of taking the grand prize!
The Grand Prize Winner (1 winner) will receive:
Left 4 Dead 2, Just Cause 2, The Orange Box (Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode One, Half Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2), The Grand Theft Auto Complete Package (GTA, GTA 2, GTA 3, GTA 4, GTA: Episodes from Liberty City, GTA: San Adreas, GTA: Vice City) The Max Payne Bundle (Max Payne, Max Payne 2), Dungeons of Dredmor Complete Pack (Dungeons of Dredmor, Dungeons of Dredmor: Realm of the Diggle Gods), Day of Defeat: Source, The Humble Indie Bundle 4, Medieval II: Total War, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, World of Goo, Dungeon Defenders, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Bit Trip Runner, The Binding of Isaac, Psychonauts, Audiosurf, Rock of Ages, Terraria, Space Pirates and Zombies, the Cthulhu Saves the World & Breath of Death VII Double Pack, Steel Storm, AaAaAA!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, Super Meat Boy, World Basketball Manager 2010, Aliens Vs. Predator, Alien Breed 2, The Tropico Trilogy (Tropico 3, Tropico Reloaded, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove, Tropico 3: Absolute Power), Dark Void Zero, Bastion, Steel Storm: Burning Retribution, beta access to Super Monday Night Combat...
...and potentially more! We might not be able to give away every game on STEAM, but at least you won't go bored ^^
If you don't win the grand prize though...
The Second Place Winners (many winners!) may receive:
The Orange Box, Half Life 2: Episode One, Day of Defeat: Source, Space Pirates and Zombies, or lots of other fun games! Who knows what interesting game you will end up winning?
Winners will be chosen fairly with a random number generator. Second place winners will also have their prizes assigned to them in a similar fashion!
You need to have STEAM and be willing to accept these gifts over STEAM if you enter this raffle!
THE PLUSHIE AUCTION
Operation Sharing Kindness has a pony plushie auction coming up, and we'd love for you to pay attention to it when the time comes! Please keep in mind that our top donator will be receiving a custom made plushie of their choice, courtesy of Dawni Blush over on Ponychan's /merch/!
CLOSING STATEMENT
Remember that we're still looking for banners or even story writers! There may be a potential contest in the future for you story writing, artistic, and musical ponies :). We could really use a nice new banner, if anypony is interested in helping with that!
Here's the donation link again!
And here is our thread over on Ponychan's /collab/!
Thank you all so much for your help with Operation Sharing Kindness, everypony! Let's go show the world what ponies are all about ^^
Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness...
~Moony ♥
Sharing Kindness is an Easy Feat ~
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