TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

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

Go To

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

IkeAndMike Exists for some reason from Earth Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
Exists for some reason
#29926: Dec 18th 2013 at 10:24:15 AM

Alright. So, two things I'm working on. First off, the lands for Ponystuck part 1.

I have Apple Bloom set with Land of Wood and Stone, Sweetie Bell with Land of Dust and Canyons, and Twist with Land of Craters and Frogs. But the others, I'm not sure. For Scootaloo I have Land of Glass and X, Rumble has Land of X and Clouds, and Dinky has Land of X and Pastries.

The second thing is the Changelings. They're all going to be based on relatively minor characters from the show. I need to narrow it down to two sets of six.

The names I have so far are as follows. Bonbon, Octave (Octavia), (Dr.) Hooves, DJ Pon-3, Trixie, Soarin, Cherry (Jubilee), Squeak (Pipsqueak), Monitor (the doctor from Read It and Weep), Sunset (Shimmer), Carrot (Top), (Cloud) Kicker, (Lemon) Hearts, Romana (AKA Colgate/Minuette), (Pokey) Pierce, Pinchy (Ruby Pinch), and (Sapphire) Shores.

Do any of those seem like bad ideas? Or should I just scrap them all and make up some OCs?

http://h0useb0und.tumblr.com/
kegisak Element of Class Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
Element of Class
#29927: Dec 18th 2013 at 10:56:39 AM

The choice to base the changelings on characters from the show is a bit of an odd one. Mostly because, in spite of being minor in the show proper, most of those ponies are fairly noteable in the fandom, and so choosing to paint them all as another species might lead to some interesting responses. It's not inherently a bad idea, especially if they're following the Troll road of having the current session spawned from the Changeling's session, in which case it would make sense for some ponies to take on the general appearances of their progenitors.

As far as lands go, you may want to consider a form of themeing. This was generally avoided in the pre-scratch session, but the post-scratch session lands all had two things in common: The were the land of a burial structure and a (Noble) gas. In this session's case it was because of the way it was set up. It was dead from the start, so the lands reflect that the session is dead and that the players are not heroes, but nobles.

So whether or not you want to do that depends on whether the session has a unique purpose, or whether you want to write a 'good' session, where a universe is successfully propagated.

Also, as I mentioned before, consider each character's arc in their land. Among the pre-scratch kids Rose explicitly had to learn to 'play the rain' and Jade needed to defrost the land to free the frogs. Given his later ability to clear away the dust, it's possible John's quest was to clear his land of clouds, and Dave mentions his quest revolving around the forging of a legendary blade. In spite of what I mentioned earlier, on further reflection this is informed by their mythological role, in a way. Each class an aspect generally has something they need to overcome in order to fully grasp their role - Page players seem to struggle with a sense of worth and purpose, and Heart players deal with their own happiness, as examples.

Let's take John as an example. For the sake of argument we'll say that the Breath aspect refers to freedom and individuality, and the Heir class refers to one who inherits the powers of, or is made of, their aspect. Thus, John is One of Freedom - a being made to tread his own path. John begins the session as kind of a dope, generally just doing what he's directed to. In order to fully come into his powers and role, he must learn to walk his own path. At the current point of the comic John is completely divorced from the timeline, alpha or otherwise - he experiences the ultimate freedom, and also the ultimate individuality.

His land, the Land of Wind and Shade, is something inherently obscured. The surface is almost completely blocked from view, and it's covered in citizens who can, and will, do nothing. In order to bring Freedom to his land, from the shade, he must work on his own, without aid. In fact, if he had accepted aid from Vriska early on, the timeline would have been doomed. In order to become a being of Freedom, he had to be an individual.

So consider that in their quests, and their lands. What are the mythological roles for the characters? That could help with brainstorming, if you're interested. You already mentioned Rumble was the Mage of Mind, so his quest to become one who Gives others Knowledge through Actions, could be either learning to lead by example, or to speak up and make his opinions heard. Thus, he could have, say, the land of Clouds and Downpour(his quest is 'raise the curtain' to clear the clouds and rain so something can be heard aside from rain), or the Land of Clouds and Tapestries(his quest is to 'weave the law', creating a new tapestry of the future for a civilization that relied on prophecy, until the prophecies ran out).

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#29928: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:00:57 AM

Damn, just how convoluted is Homestuck?

Swasfewses Hermit from New York Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Staying up all night to get lucky
Hermit
#29929: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:02:42 AM

Not as much as people say it is, really.

animal-loving
kegisak Element of Class Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
Element of Class
#29930: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:05:39 AM

Incredibly.

Most of this stuff is just guesswork and extrapolation, though. Very little in defined in the comic itself, and it's dubious if the author has even defined anything to himself. Trying to find any kind of rhyme or reason to the lands, classes and aspects is a matter of drawing similarities, often minute, from the three sessions of the game we've seen, all of which have been broken in one form or another.

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#29931: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:09:40 AM

Damn, just how convoluted is Homestuck?

Extremely convoluted. Mostly because the author likes to make stuff up has he goes and it's been going for years at a rapid update pace.

There were a couple of author's notes summarizing the story so far in act 4 and the first part of act 5. The summaries alone totaled over 15k words, and that was ages ago, meaning they only cover a small fraction of the story.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:14:27 AM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#29932: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:13:58 AM

@Story Even more convoluted than Kingdom Hearts?

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#29933: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:14:52 AM

Well I'm not familiar with Kingdom Hearts so I can't say, but probably.

What's Kingdom Hearts like?

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#29934: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:15:15 AM

It's weird. It is extremely complicated when you try to explain it, but it's not that difficult to understand when you're reading it, as the characters are piecing it together like the readers are. The main issue is that there's a lot of faux symbolism that tends to suddenly become relevant, and thus any detail might suddenly become a game-changer, even if it didn't look important at first.

@Star: I'd say that yes, it is more complicated, but it also does a slightly better job of explaining itself. Then again, I haven't played KH in a while, so it might have gotten worse since I last played it.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:15:56 AM by JapaneseTeeth

Reaction Image Repository
Sereg Since: Jun, 2010
#29935: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:16:45 AM

Who thought Flash Sentry was a good idea?

I did!

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#29936: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:18:40 AM

The main issue is that there's a lot of faux symbolism that tends to suddenly become relevant, and thus any detail might suddenly become a game-changer, even if it didn't look important at first.

Oh yes, Hussie loves his callbacks and brick jokes, even to thousands of pages ago. Good thing you have the fans/wiki to point stuff like that out.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
IkeAndMike Exists for some reason from Earth Since: Jan, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
Exists for some reason
#29937: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:25:36 AM

Hmm.

I'm not so sure about individual myth arcs. For Apple Bloom, she has to become a leader and unite her team. Sweetie has to... Learn to use her magic? Take things seriously? I'm not sure. Scootaloo's arc is kinda ripped off from Dave's. She has to stop comparing herself to Dash and be her own mare. She also serves as the team's sword, to compliment Sweetie's shield. Dinky has to face her inner demons, her anger at how jackasses treat her mother. does that sound dumb? Rumble needs to learn to speak up and be heard instead of doing along quietly with the others' ideas. And Twist needs to guide the others toward their ultimate goal with her vision. She doesn't need to be heard, she needs to be understood.

And what is the ultimate goal?

Unification. The unification of three sessions.

http://h0useb0und.tumblr.com/
Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#29938: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:25:40 AM

@Story Weird, confusing, convoluted and most of all complicated. And that's only scratching the surface of the series itself. But man after hearing Kegi explain all this about Homestuck I think I'd just be confused throughout an entire episode and just be like: "What the fuck is this shit?" every 5 seconds or so.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:26:39 AM by Starscream759

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
Swasfewses Hermit from New York Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Staying up all night to get lucky
Hermit
#29939: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:26:07 AM

"Episode"?

animal-loving
crimsonstorm15 shine on from A parallel universe Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
shine on
#29940: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:28:04 AM

What's Kingdom Hearts like?

the Kingdom Hearts story can get confusing because the games came out in anachronistic order, and the secret endings often referenced characters the audience knew nothing about at the time. if you follow the stories in the intended order, a lot of things get cleared up.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:28:26 AM by crimsonstorm15

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#29941: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:30:18 AM

It's not a web series? Anyways the point is I think I'll be confused with Homestuck if I give it a chance so I'm good.

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
PrincessGwenevere Ooh, sparkly! from Coat Mountain Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Ooh, sparkly!
#29943: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:33:21 AM

It's a comic. And everyone I know says I should read it, but that just makes me want to read it less. That and Archive Panic is a big factor.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:33:32 AM by PrincessGwenevere

"I feel like I'm on a raft and surrounding me is an ocean of dumb."- Mr. Sark
Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#29944: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:34:05 AM

Like I said I'm good.

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#29946: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:38:48 AM

@Star, Gwen: It's a comic that often incorporates flash animations and games in. Like there are several parts where rather than seeing the plot in comics, you actually take control of the character and go around and talk to everybody. It's definitely worth looking into, but it's not for everybody either. The author has a rather unique sense of humor, and it takes a while to really get to the good parts. And sometimes it goes a bit overboard in how self-aware it is. But on the whole there's really nothing else like it, and I'd definitely advise at least looking into it. Just be aware that it does take some effort to get into. I tried and failed like three times to read it before I actually got into it. That and sometimes the fanbase can be... odd.

On the whole, it's one of the few works that I have a legitimate Love-And-Hate relationship with. Any given comic has roughly equal chances of making me go "OMG Genius" or "WTF is this idiocy?" It's very YMMV.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:40:56 AM by JapaneseTeeth

Reaction Image Repository
MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#29947: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:44:24 AM

Anyone thinking of starting Homestuck: if you don't like the humor in Act 1, keep in mind that it gets better. A lot of the people currently singing Homestuck's praises also had trouble getting through Act 1.

I think, if you're not hooked by the end of Act 2 (after you've properly met Rose and Dave), you can safely assume Homestuck isn't for you.

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#29948: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:48:25 AM

Yeah, it's a really pronounced case of It Gets Better.

That said, nearly everything is YMMV for someone; some of the things that I like most about it other people would consider dealbreakers, and some of the things that I think are its greatest weaknesses, other people consider selling points.

Reaction Image Repository
PrincessGwenevere Ooh, sparkly! from Coat Mountain Since: Jun, 2009 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Ooh, sparkly!
#29949: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:50:38 AM

I have tried. I've gotten through half of Act 1 before I gave up. I kept meaning to pick it up again and just never did. Plus the friends that kept recommending it to me are really irritating. (Not you guys, irl friends.)

I just mostly don't want to end up with a case of Hype Backlash.

edited 18th Dec '13 11:51:28 AM by PrincessGwenevere

"I feel like I'm on a raft and surrounding me is an ocean of dumb."- Mr. Sark
Luminosity Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Lovey-Dovey
#29950: Dec 18th 2013 at 11:52:48 AM

Kingdom Hearts shows up awfully frequently in this thread. Weird.


Total posts: 208,325
Top