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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

Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#199951: Oct 16th 2020 at 7:42:49 AM

I only recall 'quote the Raven nevermore'

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#199953: Oct 16th 2020 at 8:16:39 AM

A Deal with the Devil kind of plot would have been quite interesting for the CMC. It plays right into their desperation for a cutie mark, and it could provide a good lesson on temptation and the reward not being worth the cost.

I could see something in that. Like maybe Discord offers them Cutie Marks in exchange for... something, I don't know, that's just off the top of my head.

Might be difficult to do that story and have it be functionally distinct from "The Cutie Pox", though. I mean, unless you want to play up the Stranger Danger aspect but honestly kids are much more likely to be victimized by people they know and trust.

...I suddenly want there to be an episode where, like, Apple Bloom is hanging out with one of her favorite Apple family relatives and that relative does something bad. PG bad, but bad. Like, they steal something or bully somepony or do something, and Apple Bloom has to keep silent about their misdeeds because they're family and family watches out for one another.

Apple Bloom's journey is about realizing that some things are more important than the bonds of blood and finally tell someone about what her cousin or aunt/uncle or whatever is doing. There could even be a part where Apple Bloom's worried that the family will be mad at her for tattling rather than at the relative for doing the bad thing. But then she does the right thing and her family supports her and a lesson is learned that kids shouldn't be afraid to come forward when a relative does a bad.

So. Basically what "One Bad Apple" should have been, I guess? I dunno.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 16th 2020 at 8:28:35 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199954: Oct 16th 2020 at 8:40:13 AM

Yeah, stranger danger plots are unfortunately rather harmful to actual child safety.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#199955: Oct 16th 2020 at 8:54:26 AM

> It's quoth, not quote.

darn

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199956: Oct 16th 2020 at 9:50:23 AM

A Deal with the Devil kind of plot would have been quite interesting for the CMC. It plays right into their desperation for a cutie mark, and it could provide a good lesson on temptation and the reward not being worth the cost.

Reminds me of what some people suggested be done with the end of "Growing Up is Hard to Do": Have Scootaloo be tempted to use the wishing flower's last petal to fix her wings when her friends needed it to get their normal bodies back. Of course, that would have required them to grow a pair and drop the "late bloomer" act, so...

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#199957: Oct 16th 2020 at 10:19:17 AM

It would also have unfortunate implications regarding disability.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199958: Oct 16th 2020 at 10:31:16 AM

Well, at least she wouldn't be helping some psycho conquer all of Equestria.

MrSeyker Since: Apr, 2011
#199959: Oct 16th 2020 at 11:27:02 AM

How does that connect?

Also, the whole late bloomer thing is way overstated. It was said once, and just about every episode afterward that deals with Scoot and flying lean heavily on "it's not gonna happen" and Scootaloo copping/accepting that.

By the last season the writing was on the wall.

I honestly don't understand anyone that was surprised that her older design keeps the disproportionate wings.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#199960: Oct 16th 2020 at 11:31:23 AM

Distrust of the writers. MLP didn't exactly have a great track record with its messages, especially in the later seasons when White Mare's Burden became the chief driving story point.

Fucking up Scootaloo would be the easiest thing in the world to do. It would literally just take one writer missing the point and deciding that "The Episode where Scootaloo Finally Flies" would be a really inspirational and upbeat story to close out her "arc", and that's that. I'm honestly impressed that it never happened.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 16th 2020 at 11:31:41 AM

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theLibrarian Since: Jul, 2009
#199961: Oct 16th 2020 at 11:50:19 AM

>White Man's Burden

Now I wouldn't go that far.

But yeah, Very Special Episodes done in MLP didn't often go well. One Bad Apple in particular. "Don't fight back against bullies because then you're as bad as they are."

Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#199962: Oct 16th 2020 at 11:53:23 AM

> "Don't fight back against bullies because then you're as bad as they are.

If you show fighting back against bullies it goes against the rigidly enforced Zero Tolerance policies in schools

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ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#199963: Oct 16th 2020 at 11:58:49 AM

Well, the obvious thing to say there is that the rules are wrong. But I can see why the writers didn't make that statement. The problem is that they didn't go with the next best option: just keep your mouth shut.

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DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199964: Oct 16th 2020 at 1:21:15 PM

How does that connect?

You didn't see the movie, did you?

Also, the whole late bloomer thing is way overstated. It was said once, and just about every episode afterward that deals with Scoot and flying lean heavily on "it's not gonna happen" and Scootaloo copping/accepting that.

As I recall, the "late bloomer" thing started with some social media post from someone involved on the show responding to fans asking about her flight situation (don't recall who). Also "Flight to the Finish" seemed to imply that the "late bloomer" thing was possibly still in effect.

And which episodes are you talking about? The only episodes (to my knowledge) where her inability to fly is a meaningful plot point are "Flight to the Finish" and "The Washouts". In between there just a few instances of her expressing some desire to fly (such as dream sequences in two episodes where she flies, or the sea pony scene from "Surf and/or Turf" where she's underwater and she's like "So this is what it's like to fly").

Plus she's some close enough to flying on a number of occasions ("Flight to the Finish" had her almost get through the hoop like she wanted) that it looks like it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that she might get flying with the right training. And Bulk Biceps can fly despite having much smaller wings on a much larger frame (how well varies from episode to episode, but still...).

The big problem I see is that they were maybe a bit too subtle with the "acceptance" part (it was never actually discussed after the "late bloomer" thing started losing steam), but right in your face with the "yearning to fly" part. So it's easy to interpret her situation in a much more tragic light than was likely intended.

Edited by DoctorWTF on Oct 16th 2020 at 1:27:37 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199965: Oct 16th 2020 at 1:50:10 PM

Bulks Biceps is kind of a weird case, to be honest. He was introduced like a sight gag, and not a very flattering one at that. They once did that with a really fat pony as well.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
MrSeyker Since: Apr, 2011
#199966: Oct 16th 2020 at 2:24:33 PM

[up][up] But, Scootaloo had nothing to do with Tempest...?

Wat. I'm legit confused at what you were going at...

Edit:

Bringing Bulk into the whole Scootaloo's disability thing is a futile argument to make.

He's a gag character, and as you pointed out, they played fast and lose on whether he was a good flier or not.

Edited by MrSeyker on Oct 16th 2020 at 2:30:25 AM

DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199967: Oct 16th 2020 at 2:33:06 PM

As I recall, Cozy Glow also looked to be roughly the same size as Scootaloo with roughly the same size wings (when she flies, she flaps at hummingbird speed like Scootaloo on her scooter). It's all likely just a case of the creative team not thinking things through, accidentally pushing the limits of suspension of disbelief. That and/or they actually intended to set her up as a late bloomer until "Flight to the Finish" had fans holding her up as Inspirationally Disadvantaged.

MrSeyker Since: Apr, 2011
#199968: Oct 16th 2020 at 2:41:56 PM

Mate, the ponies are made of templates... 90% of them share body design and animations.

Cozy Glow flaps wings at the same rate as every other flying filly we've been shown.

In fact, Scootaloo is unique in that aspect. She's the only filly whose wings buzz.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199969: Oct 16th 2020 at 2:42:20 PM

Tempest was a disabled character (her broken horn) who went on to side with a foreign conqueror to conquer her homeland.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
MrSeyker Since: Apr, 2011
#199970: Oct 16th 2020 at 2:45:40 PM

Yeah, I got that eventually, but I'm still not sure what the original post is meant to imply.

That Scoot would've sought the Storm King if she was explicitly disabled?

That Scoot at least wouldn't step so low if she was?

I dunno. That comment is scrambling my brain.

Let's just drop it.

DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199971: Oct 16th 2020 at 2:58:52 PM

It was meant to say that potentially sticking your friends with unnaturally grown-up bodies isn't quite as immoral as getting your home country conquered.

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#199973: Oct 16th 2020 at 4:43:21 PM

I'm pretty sure that Scootaloo was always meant to be disabled. Of course, what was meant to be could change over time.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199974: Oct 16th 2020 at 5:03:00 PM

Yeah, Faust apparently said so at the 2012 Bronycon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UztWnWOdAyc&feature=player_embedded

Though as I said a couple of pages ago, the wishy-washy way they presented her condition reeks of Executive Meddling. Apparently, they weren't comfortable with showing a child's dreams nuked by a disability, but were totally fine with her being so distraught over her totally-not-permanent lack of flight that she almost got herself killed. Go figure.

Edited by DoctorWTF on Oct 16th 2020 at 5:10:17 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199975: Oct 16th 2020 at 5:14:41 PM

They were fine with having her dreams nuked by Rainbow Dash, though.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times

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