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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

Whatshisgame Since: Sep, 2010
#27226: Dec 10th 2013 at 7:50:43 AM

Daring Do has apparently been real in Gameloft's My Little Pony Licensed Game for over a year now (though that's Alternate Continuity)

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#27227: Dec 10th 2013 at 7:53:29 AM

The problem is that it's really hard to keep something big like that secret, especially when she's writing books about it.

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JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#27228: Dec 10th 2013 at 7:55:33 AM

@Seraphem: Omniscient, no? Knowing about something that she's explicitly claimed to have researched, yes. She knows enough to know where Daring lives, which isn't exactly common knowledge and implies that Twilight has spent some time studying it. From there it wouldn't be much of a stretch to realize "Hey, she lives right on the outskirts of an area with the same name as the one from the book". The problem isn't that the world is expanding. I like that aspect of the episode. The problem is that logically, someone should have put the pieces together sooner.

This is a book series that's apparently pretty popular in-universe. The idea that nobody has apparently ever realized that there might be a grain of truth to it is a bit weird. At some point, somebody would have recognized that there are real-life locations and persons that match up with the book, but it's treated as though no one has ever discovered that. According to the episode, the mane cast are the first ponies to have ever discovered that Daring Do is real, despite the fact that they should have seen it coming.

Heck, even an offhand remark by Daring about how she's sick of fans trying to "help" her would have gone a long way.

edited 10th Dec '13 8:00:03 AM by JapaneseTeeth

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Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#27229: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:01:00 AM

She researched the books, as stories. And them being written makes it if anything, less likely for someone to realize they were real, as anypony that did say something could just be brushed off as getting to into the books. Who'd believe it?

And she didn't know off the top of her head where she lived, she had to find that out. So she clearly didn't know everything about A.K. Yearling. As to living near an area, maybe they didn't know what it was called, just where, and only deduced the name once they were there from the books. Or saw it, and just figured it was coincidence, the writer just using the setting she was familiar with.

[up] The Dresden Files takes place in Chicago, doesn't mean it really happens in Chicago, just that the author wanted to place it in a real place. The places existing really doesn't mean anything since, as above, it could just be the author using an existing place as inspiration for their setting. Daring lives fairly out of the way given just how far they had to travel, lives alone, and there are plenty of authors even now that are pretty reclusive, add in they don't exactly have the internet to find every little detail, information spreads a lot slower. No it's not unbelievable. The Mane 6 might not have been the very first, but how many ponies would believe some random fans that start saying it's all true, that Daring was real?

The fact that they are such well known stories makes it even more likely that nopony would notice proof of them being real, they would just brush it off as someponies overactive imagination. Everything she does seems to take place in fairly remote areas, places where there a few if any non-native ponies. So no, it's not a stretch that nopony has noticed enough to make it common knowledge that she is real.

Again, Twi didn't know right off the top of her head where Daring lived she had to look it up, track her down, and we don't know what she had to do to find that out. maybe the publisher only told her where she lived because she's a princess, while refusing to tell anypony else>

edited 10th Dec '13 8:07:28 AM by Seraphem

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#27230: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:07:00 AM

You think they're the first people to ever try to find the author of a long running, popular series? Really?

And saying it'd just be dismissed as a story doesn't fly when it's easy to get photographic or physical proof.

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Luminosity Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Lovey-Dovey
#27231: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:10:43 AM

it's easy to get photographic or physical proof.

"Pfft, it's Ponyshopped."

kegisak Element of Class Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
Element of Class
#27232: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:10:46 AM

They're probably the first ones to try and find her with access to the extensive census records of the entire kingdom and the innumerable resources that accompany being a princess in acquisition of god-like magical powers, though.

In other news I've started reading Homestuck again on account of work being boring as shit, and I think it may be affecting my vernacular somewhat

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.
Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#27233: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:11:06 AM

And how is it easy? what physical proof would they get? Again, this isn't now, where everything gets hared instantly over the internet, it takes a lot longer for information to get around. A few ponies that do know the truth would only be able to spread the word so far. And as above, Twi seemed to know everything that was possible for ponies to know about the books and their author, but didn't know where she lived, meaning it is not something easy to find. They likely weren't the first to try and track her down, but they might have been the first to actually succeed.

Or those that did, simply met A.K. yearling, who kept her disguise on the whole time, put off any similarities as just her choice to make the character like her, and never realized she WAS Darin Do. The mane 6 only found out because the villains showed up at just the right time.

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#27234: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:13:50 AM

Eh, I'm not sure I buy that. If I was reading a work that was declared to be fictional and realized that the author lived right next to an area that matched the locations in the books, I'd be curious, especially if the events of the books were something that could conceivably happen in reality. It could just be that Twilight chalked it up to writing from experience, but you'd think she'd have at least mentioned the coincidence, especially since there isn't any in-universe indication that the books aren't wholly fictional.

Think of it this way: it turns out that Ian Fleming is, in reality, James Bond, and he looks exactly like Sean Connery and that all the events of the movies actually happened. Someone is going to notice that "hey, these real life events that happened are almost exactly the same as the events of these Bond movies, and also in real life involved a guy who looked like James Bond".

Or to put it another way, I'm cool with the fact that Daring Do is real, I just wish they would have attempted to integrate her more than simply transplanting her from fiction to reality without making any effort to adjust the character. And honestly, it's not a big complaint, but I just think that a few more lines of dialogue or something could've made it so much more plausible than asking the audience to accept "Daring Do is real and it happened right next to Equestria and no one ever noticed".

edited 10th Dec '13 8:15:49 AM by JapaneseTeeth

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#27235: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:15:59 AM

The only real life case I can think of of an artist remaining hidden for long was Jandek, and he was really obscure.

The explanation that she pretended to be AK Yearling when interviewed makes a bit more sense, but it still requires positing the existence of a hidden land basically inaccessible to anypony else.

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Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#27236: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:21:25 AM

Who said it was hidden or inaccessible? it's just out of the way, remote, and place nopony really has a reason to go to. There are PLENTY of those types of places even today, especially in jungles like where this mostly took place. Regions that don't have anything special keeping them isolated beyond simply being so far away that no one bothers.

Anypony that did notice Ak Yearling looked just like Daring Do would just put it off, at her suggestion, as Yearling simply making Daring look like her. The actions all took place so far outside the normal areas pony's lied, who would notice them?

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#27237: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:27:21 AM

So you're claiming that in her whole legions of fans, there's no one who's interested enough in history, geography, or magical phenomena to realize that the stuff described in the books is based in reality? As soon as one fan noticed that "hey, this temple is an actual place", you'd have legions of fans swarming it to take pictures.

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AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
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#27238: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:31:56 AM

When said magical phenomena involves apocalyptic disasters I bet most ponies wouldn't get too close for photos.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#27239: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:32:02 AM

Heck, even Belloq showing up in public to brag would be enough. I mean, keeping it secret requires every single character in the books to not have contact with the outside world.

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Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#27240: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:37:22 AM

Or to just not give a buck. I doubt they care very much about some silly book when they are busy with their own schemes.

They only pony we've seen on the cover is Daring, so not like the rest would be instantly recognized.

edited 10th Dec '13 8:39:26 AM by Seraphem

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#27241: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:37:49 AM

[up][up][up]Of course, it would also make them impossible not to notice.

[up][up]That's the other thing. If like, Caballeron decides to take a vacation in Los Pegasus, there's a really good chance someone is going to recognize him. The entire idea of keeping the Daring Do stuff a secret hinges on there being almost no crossover between the Daring Do world and Equestria. The notion that no one besides Daring Do herself interacts with both cultures is a really big stretch. It's like the two worlds exist completely independently of each other, and no one but Daring Do and the mane cast ever crosses over.

[up] It's not a question of whether or not they care, it's the question of whether it would cause people to realize the books are real. If a guy who looks and talks exactly like Blofeld shows up in Vegas, somebody is going to notice.

edited 10th Dec '13 8:39:57 AM by JapaneseTeeth

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Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#27242: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:39:06 AM

Then how the hell does Daring Do get around without nobody knowing that's she around in Equestria?

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#27243: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:41:48 AM

[up][up] Again the only pony we know with a picture everyone knows is Daring. We don't know just how close to the real pony the description of him in the book is. Or just HOW close to reality the books are, there could be some changes, somethings altered either because they are things Daring does think should be secret, or just to make the story better.

[up] She stays mostly covered and just passes herself off as A.K. Yearling. She doesn't just wonder around in the Daring Do outfit.

edited 10th Dec '13 8:42:20 AM by Seraphem

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#27244: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:45:31 AM

[up]Given that the names are all unchanged and the artifacts in the plot function exactly as the do in the books that doesn't seem to be the case.

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Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#27245: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:47:22 AM

@Seraphem Well obviously but what I mean is how does she send the drafts of the books to Equestria when she wants to publish 'em? Does she go into Equestria in disguise or does she just send the drafts by mail?

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#27246: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:49:01 AM

It's not a question of whether or not they care, it's the question of whether it would cause people to realize the books are real. If a guy who looks and talks exactly like Blofeld shows up in Vegas, somebody is going to notice.

Even worse, everyone involved except for Ahuizotl has an incentive to make things public. I mean I don't know what A's motivation is, but Belloq and the mercaneries are after fame and fortune. And the easiest way to get that is to talk to the media.

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Seraphem Since: Oct, 2009
#27247: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:58:02 AM

Given they would then be admitting they did all the illegal shit they did in the books, that's a one way ticket to a dungeon. Ponies like that make their living by staying unde the radar, but working in shadows, not making themselves to big.

edited 10th Dec '13 8:59:07 AM by Seraphem

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
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#27248: Dec 10th 2013 at 8:59:03 AM

Incidently, this discussion is making me think of whether there should be a Sliding Scale of Setting Self Consistency. I think one end would be Lord Of The Rings and the other would be something like The Simpsons.

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darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#27249: Dec 10th 2013 at 9:20:26 AM

The Simpsons wouldn't really count, their first several seasons presented a lot of world building and consistency in and around Springfield, though it was never described as such. Even in later seasons which is much more aimed at general viewers, there's still the odd continuity joke and character from many years back that can reappear at any time.

darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#27250: Dec 10th 2013 at 9:24:58 AM

Maybe the Mario franchise? It keeps a pretty clear and growing cast list, and the Mushroom Kingdom and basic physics have their own dreamlike logic, but everything else is fair game with settings being introduced and discarded as it suits gameplay.


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