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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Live Reactions & Discussion)

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A thread to discuss My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and the tie-in media.

All of the usual forum rules apply. In addition, please remember that the thread is discussing a kids' show, and it's primarily focused on the work itself, not the fanfic — in particular, we don't want to see lewdness creeping in.

     Original OP text 
I don't know WHAT the Hell happened (I blame shenanigans) but we're going to start from scratch. Post your feels for this awesome show again! Naow!

Edited by Mrph1 on Aug 26th 2024 at 10:24:26 AM

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#198201: Apr 25th 2020 at 7:00:13 PM

I think it was before Discord. He's not mentioned in the main fic, at least.

Actually, he is, but only near the end. The later part of FOE was very obviously written during early season 2. In fact, you can pretty much tell exactly when each chapter is written, because one chapter will suddenly have a reference to Discord, and then there will be a chapter referencing Sisterhooves Social, and then a chapter referencing May the Best Pet Win, and so on. It's kind of hilarious how blatantly dated it ended up being.

Nah, keep the POTD. As you said, it helps spark conversations. The less possible conversation pieces there are, the less conversations there'll be.

Ok, I guess I'll stick with daily POT Ds for now. I feel bad about spamming the thread, but everyone else seems ok with them.

Edited by storyyeller on Apr 25th 2020 at 10:03:08 AM

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fredhot16 Don't want to leave but cannot pretend from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Too sexy for my shirt
Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
#198202: Apr 25th 2020 at 7:06:50 PM

[up]Did it ever mention Chrysalis or Changelings? Because I'm about to make a list of things that would change the story if it was written today.

Can somebody give a background summary on that?

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SantosLHalper Since: Aug, 2009
#198203: Apr 25th 2020 at 7:14:03 PM

No, it ended before A Canterlot Wedding.

Funnily enough, I saw Somber at Ponyfest Online this evening.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#198204: Apr 25th 2020 at 7:22:16 PM

It would be fascinating to do a rewrite based on the succeeding seasons. Is the original author still around?

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
God_of_Awesome Since: Jan, 2001
#198205: Apr 25th 2020 at 8:20:01 PM

There's other landmark fics, IIRC, like Pony POV. That was set after Discord and really leaned hard into the idea of Discord, Celestia and Luna being these god-creatures.

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#198206: Apr 25th 2020 at 9:40:27 PM

Did it ever mention Chrysalis or Changelings?

No, definitely not. The latest reference I can recall was to Tank from May The Best Pet Win. If I had to guess, I'd guess that the end was written somewhere around ep8-10 of season 2.

Edited by storyyeller on Apr 25th 2020 at 12:43:57 PM

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Sereg Since: Jun, 2010
#198207: Apr 26th 2020 at 1:52:48 AM

Pony POV had a lot of interesting ideas, many of which I liked and was inspired by, even if I thought many didn't fit the show.

I always found "godlike" a useless adjective though. After all, Exalted, for example, has non-sapient god's that can be accidentally killed by infant mortals.

That said, Pony POV does have the most powerful interpretation of alicorns and draconiquii I have ever seen. By far. It sees them as reincarnating, sapient abstract concepts. To put it in perspective, it says that if someone managed to permakill Celestia, it would retroactively destroy every star in the multiverse, including our own universe.

Interestingly,it actually says that Cadance is the alicorns of music, not love. It just says that she was very close to the alicorn of love in her previous lives and they learned a lot of each others' spells.

Also, somehow, it says that Discord only has one fang a the other was kicked out by a mortal pony. I don't understand how that works even for canon!Discord, nevermind this insanely OP version.

God_of_Awesome Since: Jan, 2001
#198208: Apr 26th 2020 at 3:12:26 AM

On the other hand, that level of power, while interesting on the abstract, kinda pulled me out of the story.

GNinja The Element of Hyperbole. from The deepest, darkest corner of his mind. Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
The Element of Hyperbole.
#198209: Apr 26th 2020 at 3:47:00 AM

While I get why Celestia would be seen as this all-powerful god early on, I admit, I prefer the way alicorns were portrayed later on in the show. Powerful and long lived, but not really special in any kind of abstract way.

wild mass guessIn fact, a headcanon of mine is that all ponies have the potential to become Alicorns, they were just put under some kind of race-wide limiter countless years ago, and Celestia chooses to break the seals of only the most virtuous as a way of ensuring that only good ponies can wield their power.wild mass guess

Edited by GNinja on Apr 26th 2020 at 10:54:13 AM

Kaze ni Nare!
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#198210: Apr 26th 2020 at 5:22:45 AM

I think having Celestia be an all powerful goddess could have provided for some interesting storylines. It could have raised questions of free will and agency for the cast of normals. Discord is actually providing those kind of questions later in the show, especially the last seasons where characters start explicitly questioning of why their literal god friend can't just solve things for them.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#198211: Apr 26th 2020 at 5:24:57 AM

Unfortunately, the show doesn't seem to be interested in exploring that kind of story at all. I guess they think that Superman fanfics wouldn't be appreciated by kids or something.

Edited by storyyeller on Apr 26th 2020 at 8:28:34 AM

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Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#198212: Apr 26th 2020 at 5:39:25 AM

Maybe they feel those themes would be too complicated for their youngest audience.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#198213: Apr 26th 2020 at 6:01:22 AM

Yeah, that's what I figured. And to be fair, they very well might be.

That hasn't stopped say Dragon Prince from trying to tackle difficult subjects, but I think that's aimed at a slightly older audience.

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jessicadicicco610 Since: Oct, 2018 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#198214: Apr 26th 2020 at 6:05:40 AM

Well, MLP is rated TV-Y while Dragon Prince is rated TV-Y7, with the latter having more room to go a bit darker.

GNinja The Element of Hyperbole. from The deepest, darkest corner of his mind. Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
The Element of Hyperbole.
#198215: Apr 26th 2020 at 6:26:52 AM

The only answers they ever had for Discord's presence were either to worf him, ignore him, or have him cause the problem.

They couldn't really do that last one with Celestia.

Edited by GNinja on Apr 26th 2020 at 1:31:58 PM

Kaze ni Nare!
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#198216: Apr 26th 2020 at 6:28:20 AM

They pretty much did worf Celestia whenever a big threat showed up.

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GNinja The Element of Hyperbole. from The deepest, darkest corner of his mind. Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
The Element of Hyperbole.
#198217: Apr 26th 2020 at 6:30:18 AM

[up] That's why I said they couldn't do the last one with Celestia.

Having Discord's nature cause the problem is the only non-copouty way they ever dealt with him being overpowered.

Kaze ni Nare!
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#198218: Apr 26th 2020 at 8:14:49 AM

Post of the Day #2861

I have a doctors appointment before work today. I haven't even checked in yet because three people cut in line in front of me. And they're senior citizens so I can't really say anything about it. But it's irritating. I mean, really, one guy actually asked if I was waiting to talk to the receptionist, then cut in line. What the hell.

Posted by Ike And Mike on Thu, 27th Feb '14 9:29:42 AM - Post #53066 in the new thread

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Theriocephalus Amateur Veteran from gimme a map and a moment and I can tell you Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Amateur Veteran
#198219: Apr 26th 2020 at 12:52:18 PM

I would actually question whether Celestia was ever significantly worfed — in my experience, worfing requires a character to be established as strong and dangerous to make their successive defeats a mark of how strong the other guy is, and I'm not entirely certain that Celestia was ever explicitly identified as actually being terribly powerful.

re:FO:E and changelings; one thing I recall reading a long time ago was a blog post by the story author a bit after "A Canterlot Wedding" specifically about changelings, on account of finding them a fascinating concept and then listing off a few ideas for how they could be worked into the world of the story.

VengefulBale Bishie Gijinka Meta Knight from Nowhere Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Bishie Gijinka Meta Knight
#198220: Apr 26th 2020 at 12:58:56 PM

[up] Well Celestia was told to us to be this guardian who kept Equestria in peace with her sister for hundreds of years... Yet her best feats are relegated to flashbacks and stories. And even Luna joining in didn't help her do much beyond 1-2 times where she actually helped/didn't get unceremoniously kicked out of the plot

Prettiest Meta Knight Gijinka, ngl
fredhot16 Don't want to leave but cannot pretend from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Too sexy for my shirt
Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
#198221: Apr 26th 2020 at 1:00:43 PM

[up][up]You know where that blog is?

[up]Diplomacy. Make sure wars don't start. She's a politician primarily, not this god-tier master mage.

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
VengefulBale Bishie Gijinka Meta Knight from Nowhere Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: It's complicated
fredhot16 Don't want to leave but cannot pretend from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Too sexy for my shirt
Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
#198223: Apr 26th 2020 at 1:08:04 PM

[up]Elements of Harmony. Maybe. They have some weird golden glow behind them with the two in silhouettes.

Edited by fredhot16 on Apr 26th 2020 at 1:12:11 AM

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
Sereg Since: Jun, 2010
#198224: Apr 26th 2020 at 1:14:17 PM

I am a Medaka Box fan, including a fan of the character Ajimu from that manga, who litterally has almost 14 quadrillion powers, is orders of magnitude older than the universe and is aware she's a fictional character (and hates that fact), so I have no problem with power in general. I just didn't think it fit the show.

I am actually odd in that I see alicorns, draconiquii etc.as more powerful than most here, while still not seeing them as divine. I actually never saw them as immortal, for example. I mean, we have real world living organisms that can live for thousands of years. We don't consider them immortal. And slow aging beings are actually quite common in speculative fiction.

I always saw alicorns as only special when compared to ponies though. For example, Chrysalis is clearly not a normal changeling, for example, so I never saw it as odd that she beat Celestia. It was fairly early on that I decided that it only made sense that every sapient species had rulers that were as powerful compared to their subjects as Celestia and Luna were compared to their own. It also explained the politics more. People ask why other nations aren't more impressed by Celestia? Simple. Because many countries have rulers of similar power. Discord himself shows off that Celestia's power isn't exclusive to her.

Now, I did like the introduction of other, similar beings, and loved Cadance's introduction, I did have many issues with Twilight's ascension, which I could elaborate on at length, but one of my which was hating her being singled out. I decided that if they did it, they had to commit to ascending the entire Mane Six and that Fluttershy had already proven she'd earned it based on the info on Cadance's ascension. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

As far as other fics go, Titanomachy is the next tier down in power from Pony POV that I am aware of, followed by My Little Alicorn, and then Harmony Theory, and then my own fanverse (that I am aware of. Also, naturally, I consider my interpretation pretty close to what we actually see. Harmony Theory does agree with me pretty closely on the power of an ordinary pony though, and while I like that, it is ridiculously low down on he list of things I think are great about it).

EDIT:

Sombra was implied to have been beaten without the Elements based on the flashback. Also, moving the Sun around the Earth once per day is a feat requiring an energy output far larger than the amount required to destroy a Solar System. She also tanked Chrysalis's beam that was stronger than her own, making her more durable even than that. There are actually lists of many of their feats that are completely insane if you see what they actually involve.

Edited by Sereg on Apr 26th 2020 at 6:21:30 AM

theLibrarian Since: Jul, 2009
#198225: Apr 26th 2020 at 3:28:46 PM

Yeah, FOE would be waaaaaay different nowadays. I imagine Changelings could be the Feral Ghouls in this case, gone mad from starvation and stuff, the Pillars might be generals and stuff in the war, the Crystal Empire would figure into this somehow, maybe the Windigos would appear in it, maybe Grogar might be an antagonist or something...


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