Adorkable, College Reunions, I now own a pony. · 10:43pm Jun 8th, 2014
First: O hai Lyra.
I like your spirit. I like your smile. Most of all, I like that you were 50% off and have the right name. (I'm looking at you, 'Sweetie Drops' 
) Soon, you will live on my desk at work.
Next: I just got back from my 10 year college reunion, and boy does everyone but me have children!
Seriously, though, it was nice to see people I hadn't seen in years. But they all have kids, and those kids were running around and just exhausting all my old friends (who love their kids very much, and said kids are very cute.) It made me feel old and young at the same time.
I dropped the new chapter (yes, the one that took 6 months to write.) It seems most people were pleased, or at least heartbroken about it. It wasn't easy to write a heartbroken Cheerilee , and that, plus the angry characters from the last chapter, made it really hard to go forward. I'm very protective of our favorite teacher pony, and I actually have a viseral reaction to stories that do her harm. So it was not easy to write, and I just had this mental block for awhile.
I know people want updates sooner. I want to update sooner. Sometimes, the words don't come, and whatever is coming kind of sucks. My BPFF tells me that it's art, and art takes time, and let it take time. Which is true. But it's also frustrating.
In a way, Adorkable, to the extent it's about anything other than ducks and shipping madness, is about what happened to me at the end of college when all my friends kind of scattered to the winds. Everyone had to grow up all over again, and everyone else paired off and I got dumped two months after college ended. Now, don't cry for me. I went and did what I wanted to do, changed careers, met my future wife, and now I'm in a good job making a difference and it gives me time to write. But it's always interesting to look back, as long as you know that it's through rose tinted glasses.
You can't go back home again. But you can visit, if for a little while.
Back to Adorkable: the other reason it took so long is that I have 2k worth of words, including that teaser I included last time, that were originally in the chapter but got cut. They're going in the next one. I feel some of the energy I lost on this story coming back. It's time to bring it home. It's time to get nuts.
It's time to Lyra this mother.
P.S. Whiny Author Moment: Did anyone actually read the last paragraph of the story, where new characters entered? I thought that would have gotten more of a reaction... 
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I think most of us were suffering from emotional burnout by that point. Personally, I'd assumed that they were foreshadowed by a line I'd forgotten about.
In any case, definitely looking forward to seeing how one Lyras a mother. Still, I understand that inspiration can't be compelled. It'll come when it comes, and no sooner. And when it does, I'll be there.
Yeah, what FOME said. It's interesting that they showed up, but until we see a bit detail about their visit I'm not sure what to say about them.
Well, i guess FP and HT just don't kick up much much of a fuss after watching Cheelie get suckerpunched like that.
(for us readers)
There's a Bon Bon figure too so you can totally ship her and Lyra in the privacy of your own home.
Lol nice. I have a Dr. Hooves and Vinyl Scratch that will be welcome at my desk.
There's also a Twilight and Trixie one I saw. Wish they'd make a Rarity one soon.
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I got mine at Newbury Comics (an old favorite Boston haunt)
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I wanted my favorite mane 6 too, or Cheerilee 
The had a Rainbow Dash one, but, I dunno. Lyra felt more right.
I knoooow!
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I refuse to get Bon Bon her until they name her right.
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Touche! Their introduction will be in the next chapter, and it's a doozie.
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Unfortunately, that will never happen -- any licensed merchandise is going to be under the name "Sweetie Drops", because Hasbro discovered after the fact that they couldn't trademark the name "Bon-Bon." So, she's trademarked as "Sweetie Drops", and anyone selling merchandise with that character's likeness on it has to use that name.
One you take her out of the box, though, you can call her whatever you want.
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I've been getting mine off Amazon, and occasionally eBay -- except for the glow-in-the-dark Doctor Whooves, which I got from ThinkGeek.com. (Alas, the glow-in-the-dark effect isn't nearly as impressive as the photos would suggest.)
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Oh, horseapples. That makes so much sense.
Come back, Bon-Bon. All is forgiven.
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Sweetie Drops is the name on her birth certificate. What can you do?
Answer: Stick a piece of masking tape on the box.
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As I understand it (and keep in mind, this is pieced together from bits and pieces; there's no official statement from Hasbro that I'm aware of), some of the first merchandise out of the gate did use the name "Bon-Bon", because Hasbro thought they still had that name trademarked from a G1 pony of the same name. Then, at some point, they discovered that the trademark had actually expired some time ago, and they couldn't get it back for some reason.
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I feel your pain, but plus side Rarity is part of the next duo...or the one after, maybe. You know, if you decided Lyra needed a friend.
And while yeah, the whole "Sweetie Drops" thing is stupid on multiple levels (Copyright issues aside, they already had a "Sweetie" confound it. Name Bon-Bon something that isn't already partially used!) at least they still let her have a name.
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Toys R Us has 'em too, if there's one of those near you. Advantage that way is you get to actually check before you buy, since I've seen some that apparently got...wonky during the manufacturing process.
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Given that Funko has already done several "fan favorite" secondary and background ponies (Lyra, Bon-Bon, Octavia, Vinyl Scratch, Doctor Whooves, Derpy, Trixie, Spitfire), I think the odds are pretty good that they'll get around to Cheerilee at some point, as long as the figures continue to sell well enough to justify it.
(And if their marketing team has any sense, they'll release Cheerilee and Big Mac together. The sales will explode.
)
I like the Funko figures because they actually put some effort into making them look right, with the correct hairstyles and signature accessories (Octavia's bow tie, Trixie's cape and hat, etc.), rather than just being recolored versions of the same six basic molds like the blind-bag minis.
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Yeah, my only real complaint about them (besides the occasional messed up looking ones that sneak through quality control, I guess) is that they still only do the cutie marks on one side, so you really only have the one angle to display from. Though they were at least nice enough to have Vinyl cast facing left so that her figure and Octavia's can face each other. Points to them for that. And the little ones they make are surprisingly good looking, despite the coats being (mostly) uniform black. Nice sleek look to 'em.
Apparently their marketing team doesn't have any sense, though - Big Mac seems to be out already, or at least a few have leaked out. Paired with Applejack. Which, thanks to your suggestion, makes me chuckle to myself a bit.
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Actually, they seem to have wised up on that point; Vinyl and Octavia were the first pair that did have their cutie marks on both sides. (Mine do, anyway!) Twilight has hers on both sides as well (Trixie's are covered up by the cape, of course), and it appears that the upcoming Applejack and Big Mac will have marks on both flanks as well. I suspect they got an earful of complaints about it from fans who (shock! gasp!) actually took theirs out of the boxes.
Still, you've gotta admit, if having a mark on only one side is the worst off-model sin the Funko figures have committed, they're still way ahead of the blind-bag figures.
(I mean, okay, sure, they can't do a custom mold for every secondary and background character in the series... but couldn't they at least have given Fluttershy her correct manestyle and a more appropriate pose, instead of just re-using Dash's mold with different colors?)
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Ah, well that was my error, then. I have Scratch and Tavi, but I haven't decided where to put them yet so they're still in the boxes. Good on them over that, then. And like I said, that really was my only complaint about Funko that isn't related to an understandable, if still vexing, business decision (*cough*blindboxonlyDiscord*cough*).
The biggest sins on the blind bags were yeah, Flutterdash there, which was just stupid, and using named ponies in general, like Trixie and Lyra. Can't fault them for making ponies up to fill out the line, but if that's the plan then go with it, and don't just slap a different coat of paint on Rarity/Twilight and call it someone who already has a distinct model.
It should be an omnipresent corporate policy - when bootleg merchandise looks more like your characters than your official toys, someone needs to get sacked. Though at least they seem to be wising up on those, too (see - Flim and Flam given distinct models, Fluttershy finally getting her own mold).
Well, yeah. I saw the character's... but come on... that was just a footnote, they were hardly important to the rest of the chapter.
Ugh. You just reminded me my 20 year HS reunion's next year. Thanks, bro.
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'let's be bummed together'
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Fair enough.
bunp