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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

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#55901: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:41:04 AM

[up]I can see that, but I still think she went overboard. I just think that AJ should've been less worried about AB's ability and more about her maturity.

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IrishZombie Since: Dec, 2009
#55902: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:43:41 AM

My alarm didn't go off for some reason, so I ended up sleeping 'til noon. Anyway, I just watched the episode. Yeah, AJ's sudden overprotectiveness was a bit odd, and she seems to have received Twilight's obsession with checklists. In short, she was being a silly pony.

Also, the interrupted song was hilarious.

edited 8th Mar '14 10:44:03 AM by IrishZombie

AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#55903: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:44:57 AM

[up]Bloom: This calls for a so-

Scoots: NO.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
Pannic Since: Jul, 2009
#55904: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:46:48 AM

She was initially concerned about something to a fairly reasonable degree, "to-do list" aside. She only went into crazy-mode after she got back and saw what appeared to be evidence that Applebloom couldn't handle herself. That was when she started babyproofing shit.

crimsonstorm15 shine on from A parallel universe Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#55906: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:46:59 AM

Yeah, that was one of my favorite moments.

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Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#55907: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:49:24 AM

@Ace Can I sing?

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
Shota Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Dancing with myself
#55908: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:50:01 AM

It was APPLE BLOOM'S FIRST DAY BEING ALONE BY HERSELF IN THE HOUSE. this is a very special case and the first of its kind for Applejack seeing her little sister be more independent like this!

Really, people just overreact whenever a character is put in an even SLIGHTLY different situation than before.

Luminosity Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Lovey-Dovey
#55909: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:50:13 AM

@Star NO! *from the grumpy corner*

darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#55910: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:50:13 AM

I liked it. Stalkerjack was a bit grating at times, but it was pretty funny, especially when Sweetie and Scoots showed up.

AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#55911: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:50:15 AM

@star: brandishes cinder blocks Well, sure you can.    In soprano!   

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#55912: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:55:57 AM

@Shota: That part is perfectly understandable. The bit that irked me is how AJ kept treating Apple Bloom like a baby even after she came back. I can understand her reluctance to leave AB alone. That makes perfect sense and is in character. But stuff like babyproofing the house or checking on Apple Bloom every five minutes while she's sleeping are just overkill.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think the episode is bad or anything. It was definitely funny and the whole sequence with the chimera was awesome. It's just that I feel like they exaggerated that aspect of AJ's character to the point that it didn't feel consistent with how she'd been previously characterized. I mean, even by overprotective parent standards, putting nets under the trees to keep AB from getting hit by apples or putting a pillow on the rake just didn't fit.

edited 8th Mar '14 10:58:07 AM by JapaneseTeeth

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AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#55914: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:58:11 AM

@Irish: Reunion concert?

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
kegisak Element of Class Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
Element of Class
#55915: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:58:30 AM

Actually, AJ's behaviour here does seem consistent to me, in a sort of general sense.

Regarding the issue of her previous lack of overprotectiveness, I think there may be explainable reasons for that. Most of the time AB has been wandering around she's been wandering around in a town chock full of people Applejack knows. Like, AJ is kind of the town Superhero and the Apple Clan is a huge part of the town's economy, so it makes sense they would all probably recognize Applebloom and want to look out for her - in a more general sense all of the ponies in Ponyville are mostly pretty nice, so they'd probably look out for any kid. Having grown up in a small town I can say there's usually very little danger, since most people can recognize each other.

The only time Apple Bloom has been somewhere out of view of town is in the clubhouse in the Orchard... where Applejack works. Applejack can and did check in on AB when they were in the clubhouse from time to time. Plus, AB was always with her friends then. Even if they're just kids, they can still help each other out if one of them gets hurt, so it's not like AB is gonna be on the ground with a broken leg and nopony around for miles. I think it was the sheer aloneness that AJ worried about. Though for the record, I do think they overplayed it.

But the thing is, this is consistent with AJ's major flaw: Being too controlling.

Thinking about it, there's probably a reason AJ fits The Mario archetype. She helps everypony around town. She tries to compete in every rodeo event. She cooks, she cleans, she builds and repairs, she harvests, she herds... And she's pushed to be the absolute best she can be in all of those things, because she needs to be in control.

Not in charge, no, but in control. She needs to be prepared. She needs to have a plan, and the plan needs to go right. Big Mac is hurt? Do the harvest herself. Apples need to get harvested, after all. Going to a party? Sell some apples! Need money, after all. Don't win the prize money in the rodeo? Find other work. Roof needs to get fixed, after all. Family coming over? Plan everything to the second. Family's gotta stick together, after all.

Applejack's major flaw in all of her episodes is the need to have things go her way, even when her way isn't the wisest. Indeed, she shows that flaw in her solo comic, as well - her defining moment for me will always be, when she was told it wasn't her job to make sure everything went perfect, asking herself, "Then whose job is it?".

Applejack's parents died, from all evidence, when she was fairly young. So from a very young age, Applejack has been dealing with a world that is cold and random, where ponies will just die with nothing that can be done about it. Nobody wants to live in a world like that, least of all a child, so she responded by coming to believe that there must be some order to the world - somepony whose job it is to make sure everything is perfect. And if that pony isn't out there in the world at large, then she would be.

So yeah, Applejack's overprotectiveness makes sense to me. She wants to keep the world safe for Applebloom, because she's already lost two ponies she cares about deeply to it. Applejack was dealing with the legitimately scary reality of a world where Infant Immortality doesn't apply and Applebloom could have actually died. It was overblown, but it's a cartoon... that's just not really the kind of thing that you can deal with, and it wasn't really Applejack's episode anyways.

Overblown, but not unrealistic is I guess my point?

edited 8th Mar '14 11:00:55 AM by kegisak

Birthright: an original web novel about Dragons, the Burdens of Leadership, and Mangoes.
Pannic Since: Jul, 2009
#55916: Mar 8th 2014 at 10:58:50 AM

[up][up][up]And the ending was shit!

edited 8th Mar '14 10:58:59 AM by Pannic

AceOfScarabs I am now a shiny stone~ from Singapore Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
I am now a shiny stone~
#55917: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:01:14 AM

@Kegi: Crossppost that to our Fridge Brilliance page. NAO.

The three finest things in life are to splat your enemies, drive them from their turf, and hear their lamentations as their rank falls!
Starscream759 Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: In denial
#55918: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:02:26 AM

@Ace Geez man! If you wanted I could sing a bit of Frank Sinatra for ya.

"Transform and Roll out!" Optimus Prime
Blissey1 insert title here from a random Pokècenter Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I know
insert title here
#55919: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:10:54 AM

ok, watching the episode.

I see Sweetie took some lessons from Pinkie about encouraging friends.

CMC house caretakers? this will end well.

Door to Door pie delivery?

wait, so AJ and Mac are delivering pies, where the hell is Granny going?

...wow, since when was Aj so amazingly overprotective/smothering?

AJ has tons of hats. the fandom that her hat belonged to her dead father is officially denied.

really now, am I the only one who feels that this behavior is kind of out of left field for AJ?

wait, I get it now. This is Spike at Your Service all over again, but with AJ as Spike and AB as AJ!

Song time!

...or not.

AB doesn't have a map. How does she even know where she's going?

Snorry Belle. Is that the face for this episode?

damnit scoots.

oh, so apparently AB did get the map before she left.

yep, that's a chimera.

wait, it talks!?

my sisters and I? the tiger head is a girl?

and now for some monster/filly bonding.

wait, french rednecks!?

well then. I think this is one of the first episodes that I haven't been very impressed by. Mostly because it felt like AJ was kinda OOC.

edited 8th Mar '14 11:11:55 AM by Blissey1

XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!
PurpleDalek Since: Sep, 2011
#55920: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:12:57 AM

I really liked this one. Especially how meta it was. The Apples having a hats and bows closet and Scootaloo interrupting Apple Bloom's musical number were both great[lol].

And I don't think AJ was out of character. It's consistent with Bridle Gossip and, like Pannic said, the mane six have always been broadly defined archetypes.

IrishZombie Since: Dec, 2009
#55921: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:13:29 AM

Anyway, Derailed. We've decided on a description, right? And have we decided how this monstrosity's going to be posted for the wider world to enjoy?

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#55922: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:14:42 AM

@Kegisak: I can definitely see where you're coming from. You're take on AJ as being sort of a latent control freak is really right on, but I think the problem is, like you said, the fact that they really took it to too great a degree to be believable. AJ being worried about Apple Bloom being home alone? Fine. AJ deciding to go back and check on her? Fine. AJ deciding that Apple Bloom isn't ready and deciding to stay with her? Fine. AJ insisting that Apple Bloom wear a helmet all the time even when she's not alone? Not so much. That's why I'm not saying that it's necessarily OOC for her, just way over exaggerated.

[up]Put it up on fimfiction, I guess.

edited 8th Mar '14 11:16:01 AM by JapaneseTeeth

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Rinsankajugin Since: Feb, 2012
#55923: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:16:02 AM

People forget to read constant debates and feel like slowpokes. I feel like Sonic the Hedgehog on ecstasy, devouring on helpless prey that do not know how to convolute story lines into a mish mash of meatloaf.

IrishZombie Since: Dec, 2009
#55924: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:16:31 AM

[up][up]Right, but on whose account? Because I'm not sure each of us posting a copy under our own accounts is a wise idea.

edited 8th Mar '14 11:16:37 AM by IrishZombie

JapaneseTeeth Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing from Meinong's jungle Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Mu
Existence Weighed Against Nonbeing
#55925: Mar 8th 2014 at 11:18:21 AM

Yeah, that's not even legal by site rules. I'd say either make a new account (which would be useful if we ever decide to make another one of these) or pick somebody to post it on theirs.

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