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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

DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199976: Oct 16th 2020 at 5:22:22 PM

[up] What are you talking about there?

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199977: Oct 16th 2020 at 5:34:38 PM

The episode where Scootaloo joins a stunt team catering to those who can't make it on the Wonderbolts team.

Basically, Rainbow Dash wants Scootaloo to copy her dream of joining the Wonderbolts, what with Scoots being her biggest fan. But of course Scoots can't even fly, let alone fly well enough to join an elite flying team most pegasi have trouble qualifying for as it is. So it makes total sense for her to join a stunt team that lets people do their own stunts that they are capable of doing, rather than expecting everyone to fit their exacting standards without fail, like the Wonderbolts do.

But Rainbow Dash was very jealous of that idea, and while the episode muddles things by having the rival team be irresponsible with their safety, it is pretty clear that Dash' main motivation is that Scoots rejected the Wonderbolts in favour of something she could actually take part and excel in.

And the episode ends with Dash essentially winning, making Scoots pursue a dream she has no chance of ever fulfilling, and dashing the dream she was building up of joining a stunt team she could actually achieve.

The episode basically gives the message of "follow your idol's dream, even if you can't achieve it". Which is, well, not a very healthy message to send.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199978: Oct 16th 2020 at 5:53:06 PM

And the episode ends with Dash essentially winning, making Scoots pursue a dream she has no chance of ever fulfilling, and dashing the dream she was building up of joining a stunt team she could actually achieve.

The episode basically gives the message of "follow your idol's dream, even if you can't achieve it". Which is, well, not a very healthy message to send.

I don't think that's the message they were trying to send - I'm pretty sure Rainbow Dash accepted (somewhat reluctantly) Scootaloo's decision right before her first show.

Though it's kind of hard to tell what message they were trying to send at the end with the Scootaloo fan club. I've heard a variety of possible interpretations. Some have said it was about Scootaloo making peace with her condition (though there was no actual mention of that after Scoots blew up at Rainbow Dash - again, Executive Meddling). Others have claimed that it was about Scootaloo realizing that she didn't need to try so hard to emulate Rainbow Dash. Perhaps it was about her realizing that Rainbow Dash has other qualities to emulate (Element of Loyalty and all) besides "flies real good".

MrSeyker Since: Apr, 2011
#199979: Oct 16th 2020 at 5:56:00 PM

[up][up] That's not really what the lesson of the episode is about, but go off I guess.

I swear, some people here deconstruct narratives to such a degree that they end up completely discarding what the episodes are actually saying.

RD admits she was hurting Scootaloo with by kinda pushing her dreams on her, which is what was driving them apart, and she straight up says that Scoot will find her own thing and she'll support that.

The episode is really about the drifting relationship between them, with Scootaloo's changing her dreams as a catalyst.

You can be critical of the episode not really resolving what Scoot's dream is, but I think that's on was purpose. The Wonderbolts are impossible for her, The Washouts could be her future, or maybe she'll find something else.

Edited by MrSeyker on Oct 16th 2020 at 6:01:51 AM

DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199980: Oct 16th 2020 at 6:46:10 PM

[up] Sounds about right.

Rainbow Dash was, however, fully aware of Scootaloo's wing situation from the day they met (as evidenced by the scene at the end of "Sleepless in Ponyville" with Rainbow carrying her through the sky). I doubt she was ever specifically expecting Scootaloo to follow her into the Wonderbolts so much as just keep on idolizing her above any other living organism.

On the other hand, if Scootaloo were to get her hooves on something like the glider from comic issue 81 (which got an earth pony into their ranks), it may in theory not be 100% impossible. If nothing else, it could be a fun fanfic idea. You could even get a disability-related Aesop out of it if that's your fancy: have her academy partner take a look at her equipment and be like "Why do they have me working with a stupid cripple?" and have them transition to "Okay, she gets the job done, who gives a damn if she has to do it a bit differently from everypony else?".

Edited by DoctorWTF on Oct 16th 2020 at 7:04:07 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199981: Oct 16th 2020 at 9:01:47 PM

Well, in any case, I'd have preferred for Scootaloo to join a reformed Washouts, rather than going back to Dash' hero worship.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
MrSeyker Since: Apr, 2011
#199982: Oct 17th 2020 at 1:47:21 AM

I think there's room in Sctootaloo's life for both.

The problem really is that the Washouts was a plot left hanging. It's one of those smallish bits of world building that are there for fans and the comic writers to touch upon if interested.

But in the episode they exit the narrative once their function as apple of discord for the RD/Scootaloo drama is done.

Par for the course really. That is THE criticism to be made about the show in my opinion.

The world is always growing and expanding in new directions. New characters and locations and plots are introduced.

But the slice of life/moral of the day nature the overall narrative means that a good chunk those elements become one shots that are just left behind.

Edited by MrSeyker on Oct 17th 2020 at 1:53:35 AM

DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199983: Oct 17th 2020 at 5:31:34 AM

[up]Part of the problem there is that "The Washouts" came towards the end of season 8 - there wouldn't have been much time left to do much of anything with that. Well, unless they cut one of the multiple Season 9 episodes featuring cringe-worthy character assassination.

Though I suppose they could also have ended the episode by having one of the other Washouts discuss the idea of Scootaloo replacing Lightning Dust instead of the "Scootaloo Fan Club" scene. Seriously, what had she actually done (that is, individually as opposed to as part of some CMC adventure) up to then that might have been fan-club-worthy? It almost felt like that club was founded out of pity.

Edited by DoctorWTF on Oct 17th 2020 at 6:32:04 AM

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#199984: Oct 17th 2020 at 6:36:09 AM

Post of the Day #3035

@Tobias: I'd add the caveat that Pinkie doesn't understand how positive attention could be scary. She gets that Fluttershy obviously doesn't want to be humiliated or made fun of, but because in this case the reactions are entirely positive she doesn't get why that would be a bad thing. In her mind, it's a case of "everybody loves your singing, so why would you be afraid of doing it in front of others?" She still goes overboard though. Although I'd also think the other ponies are somewhat at fault as well. Pinkie can at least kinda be justified by being on the polar opposite end of the "desires attention" spectrum from Fluttershy, but the rest of the group definitely should've stepped in and told Pinkie to knock it off.

EDIT: Time to go to sleep.

Posted by Japanese Teeth on 28th Feb 2017 08:42:24 PM - Post #169639 in the new thread

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
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
#199985: Oct 17th 2020 at 7:12:09 PM

What episodes has, in your opinion, a moral that fits the least with the events of the story?

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#199986: Oct 17th 2020 at 10:45:04 PM

I can't remember all the episodes well enough to pick the worst off the top of my head, but Princess Spike was a pretty bad offender.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#199987: Oct 17th 2020 at 11:27:08 PM

The Washouts didn't need any more episodes. They just needed to be better utilized in this episode. The problem is that there are two different plots happening, and they are directly in opposition to one another.

  • Plot A: Rainbow Dash is jealous because Scootaloo found a new dream she wants to pursue instead of the literally impossible task of becoming a Wonderbolt like her. She has to learn to put aside her feelings and let Scootaloo live her life, even if that means no longer having the shimmering pedestal she once did in this kid's life.
  • Plot B: Scootaloo has joined a stunt group led by returning villain Lightning Dust! Oh no! They're sinister and bad because of their complete disregard for safety protocols, but Scootaloo is just so excited that she can't see the danger she's in. Can Rainbow Dash save her from the perilous clutches of these dastardly daredevils?!

Do you see the contradiction here? Rainbow Dash is simultaneously the villain and the hero of this episode. She is wrong because she immediately resents the Washouts for being Scootaloo's new dream, but she is right because the Washouts are a bunch of bad guys who are going to hurt Scootaloo. She wants to stop Scootaloo from being a Washout, which is bad because she's doing it out of jealousy, but also good because the Washouts are going to get her killed.

This is not good writing. The premise is in direct opposition with itself. To resolve the twin storylines, Rainbow Dash needs to stop trying to make Scootaloo quit the Washouts, but she also has to make Scootaloo quit the Washouts. This conflict has been written in such a way that a satisfactory conclusion is impossible.

They really needed to make up their minds about which plot they wanted the episode to be about. And if they were going to bring Scootaloo's disability into it, then they re-e-e-eally needed to pick Plot A.

Like. Once you introduce the talking point, "Scootaloo literally cannot be a Wonderbolt and this is the closest thing to her lifelong dream that she can ever have"? That's not something that you can just leave hanging. "Well, this sucks so I guess she's just fucking screwed," is a terrible resolution. If the writers want to talk about how Scootaloo's disability impacts her life choices, then the Washouts can't just be a traveling group of Chaotic Evil bad guys.

At the very least, Lightning Dust needed to see the error of her ways and reform the Washouts, or the Washouts needed to reform without her. One of the two. Preferably, the Washouts would be entirely on the up-and-up and the focus would remain on Rainbow Dash's jealousy causing her to irrationally search for a reason to hate them. Either way, "Lightning Dust blasts off like Team Rocket, Scootaloo's dreams are crushed, and everyone lives happily ever after!" is pretty fucky as endings go.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199988: Oct 18th 2020 at 6:52:55 AM

[up]Agreed 100%.

Plus, the "Scootaloo Fan Club" ending felt like a total non sequitur. What was that even supposed to mean? To me it kind of felt like they were trying to suggest that she didn't need either the Wonderbolts or the Washouts - that she shouldn't need anything remotely resembling her original dream to be happy with her life. If so, that's downright horribly patronizing, a textbook example of what NOT to do with a disabled character.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199989: Oct 18th 2020 at 7:04:11 AM

A much better ending would have been for Lightning Dust and Dash to reconcile, and for Dash to become the Washout's safety instructor. That way, Dash can still be part of Scoots' life, but in a more constructive, less self-aggrandizing way. That way, Scootaloo can do something she can actually excel at, the Washouts can be redeemed, and Dash gets a healthier relationship with her surrogate sister.

Because, lets face it, having your little sister put you on a pedestal and feeling jealous over not being on that pedestal any more is not really a good place to be for Dash.

[up] Indeed, the last thing most disabled people want is a fan club, especially one that praises you for nothing in particular, or for mundane achievements.

Edited by Redmess on Oct 18th 2020 at 4:05:41 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#199990: Oct 18th 2020 at 7:36:42 AM

Post of the Day #3036

I'll be the lone one to say it, but I don't think Frozen's that amazing.

Good? Certainly. The revival of Disney? Not even close to that level.

Personally I don't think Disney needs reviving, it's just in a rough patch.

Posted by darkabomination on Thu, 19th Jun '14 9:42:02 AM - Post #77145 in the new thread

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#199991: Oct 18th 2020 at 7:45:06 AM

The problem is that there are two different plots happening, and they are directly in opposition to one another.

Yeah, that episode was very weird. Usually I can see the aesops coming a mile away. Children's shows aren't exactly subtle about whose side you're supposed to be on (ACW hatedom aside), but as you mentioned, this episode really felt like two different plots inexplicably mashed together, one where RD was the hero and the other the villain. I had no idea what they were going for while watching it.

The show has done "multiple plots mashed together into one episode" before, but sequentially rather than concurrently (Magical Mystery Tour is a very obvious one-episode two parter and the CMC-DT episode dispatched three plots in quick succession, but those were just rushed, not a matter of conflicting morals.)

Indeed, the last thing most disabled people want is a fan club, especially one that praises you for nothing in particular, or for mundane achievements.

It's funny you should say that since I was immediately reminded of RD's parents. Didn't Scootaloo think their antics were a good thing? But perhaps she'd think differently if she had to live with it and experience it first hand.

P.S. I just noticed "Total posts: 199,991". Pannic would be proud. Of course, that will go away as soon as someone posts...

Edited by storyyeller on Oct 18th 2020 at 10:47:12 AM

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199992: Oct 18th 2020 at 8:53:54 AM

Indeed, that falls under the more general experience of children that other parents always seem much cooler than yours. They don't realize that it is a whole different story once they actually start parenting you.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
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
#199993: Oct 18th 2020 at 8:59:18 AM

[up]HOW DARE YOU RUIN THE PALINDROME!

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#199994: Oct 18th 2020 at 9:01:24 AM

look at him

the thread ruiner

Edited by Ultimatum on Oct 18th 2020 at 4:24:59 PM

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DoctorWTF Since: Jul, 2020
#199995: Oct 18th 2020 at 9:29:15 AM

[up][up][up][up]Yeah, Scootaloo clearly saw both the used diaper in the memorabilia display (she even took a picture of it) and the fireworks that they were shooting off in the middle of the airshow (which came within a few feet of hitting Rainbow Dash). Yet as far as we saw, she was always 100% on their side.

[up][up][up] Also, Scootaloo mentioned that her parents never gave her anything like the kind of support that Rainbow's parents did. So that might also have biased her somewhat. When you factor in her being apparently blind to what should have been major red flags, that raised some unfortunate implications regarding her family life.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#199996: Oct 18th 2020 at 9:56:32 AM

We are on page 8.000, though, and very near 200.000 posts, which are two great milestones on their own.

Wow, that means we have three special forum moments on one page.

Edited by Redmess on Oct 18th 2020 at 6:56:59 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
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
#199997: Oct 18th 2020 at 10:03:12 AM

And 200,002 is just around the corner.

My musician page
theLibrarian Since: Jul, 2009
#199998: Oct 18th 2020 at 2:08:32 PM

I'd say that the Wonderbolts nickname one didn't go down pretty well. The entire plot of the episode really, mainly due to a lot of poor communication.

Snicka Since: Jun, 2011
#199999: Oct 18th 2020 at 2:13:53 PM

drum roll

Edited by Snicka on Oct 18th 2020 at 11:14:20 AM

SantosLHalper Since: Aug, 2009
#200000: Oct 18th 2020 at 2:20:56 PM

200 000 post get!

(I'm moving out tonight and I'm also getting some progress on a fanfic of mine, so woohoo!)


Total posts: 208,320
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