Friendship is Magic

[Arganaut]

[Arganaut]

Wow, and Applejack episode where she's not overshadowed? Must be a Christmas miracle!

Fun episode over all, in my opinion. Although I think the most important thing we learned from this episode is thus:

Spoiler: show

[JamestheFox]

That... Just... That.

But since we're talking Batman... Also this.

Spoiler: show

[Arganaut]

....

Assuming Zap2It isn't messing with us, the episode synopsis for our 11th episode

This would be so amazing I can't even.

[Random_fan]

I'm gonna file that under, 'stuff to get really excited about if it's officially announced' as it stands as awesome as that would be I'm not going to get my hopes up just yet.

[Arganaut]

Another week, another good episode. Pretty hilarious too. I think the best part of it for me was the thought of: Rainbow Dash: NOVELIST! And of course, evil mustache Pinkie Pie

Edit: Also, this-

Spoiler: show

[Magnificate]

I now ship Trixie/Dust, two of my favourite foils.

[Arganaut]

Spoiler: show

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/01/i ... .html#more

[Farmer_10]

Hoo, boy. As surprising as that is, I think the more pressing question is why anyone would leak something like that. I mean wouldn't it make for a better reveal if nobody saw this coming? I know I sure as hell didn't before this. In hindsight certain things make more sense now, but again to reitirate why leak something like this?

[Arganaut]

There's been leaks on this subject before, and those leaks ended up... well, let's say this has been a shitstorm in the making for about a month now. I think they're desperately trying to get in front of this so that they can try to calm it down, try to make sure that this just doesn't end up blowing apart what's become a profitable part of the fanbase for them.

That's why, I think, you're seeing writers and big members of the show like Amy Keaton Rogers and M.A. Larson being so proactive on twitter, trying to use humor to quell this. These leaks are another part of it as they try to make it seem not as bad as it's being taken as (although that is debatable).

[ewuvi]

I actually don't see why this is a big deal at all.

For a fanbase that prides itself in tolerance and understanding, they sure are ridiculously quick to throw hate around.

[Arganaut]

It is rather ridiculous, but then I suppose this is the nature of fandom: some people are just going to get ridiculously crazy over it.

Me personally? I don't necessarily agree with the decision, but I'm not panicking.

[Wittgen]

All fandoms are absurdly entitled, but MLP fandom tends to be more entitled than most. The narrative of choice for a good chunk of the hardcore fans is that there was this good show that, through the sheer force of their inherent bravery and tolderance, they managed to like despite being for girls, so where the hell's our Derpy you ungrateful showmakers you. *shrug* There's plenty of good, and every fandom has a bad side. But the bad side of MLP fandom is vile.

As for Alicorn Twilight, meh. Not enough information to know if it'll be interesting. Given that the fandom has written about Twilight being groomed for Alicornhood or whatever over and over again, it's weird that now they are all a big sad because it might actually happen.

[Phht]

Right now, my thought is "holy shit, The Empty Room could totally be canon and not stretching things!"

Of course, all this hooplah going on, and watch it turn out that she's only a temp alicorn for some reason or another and reverts back to being a unicorn at the end of the season. ;)

[Arganaut]

All fandoms are absurdly entitled, but MLP fandom tends to be more entitled than most. The narrative of choice for a good chunk of the hardcore fans is that there was this good show that, through the sheer force of their inherent bravery and tolderance, they managed to like despite being for girls, so where the hell's our Derpy you ungrateful showmakers you. *shrug* There's plenty of good, and every fandom has a bad side. But the bad side of MLP fandom is vile.

As for Alicorn Twilight, meh. Not enough information to know if it'll be interesting. Given that the fandom has written about Twilight being groomed for Alicornhood or whatever over and over again, it's weird that now they are all a big sad because it might actually happen.

I think you might be able to trace that little slice more of fan entitlement, and the ugliness of a lot of it, to the fandom's roots in 4Chan. Let's face it, the show's fandom was born from that and a lot of people are still in some ways connected to it. (Not to speak ill of folks who joined the show via 4Chan, why, that would be rather... hypocritical of me).

As for the fanfiction thing... I can't really give you a good perspective, seeing as how I've always found the Twilicorn idea to be not to my taste. Really, just about the only explanation I could possibly muster is that the backlash, even from fan fic writers, is more based in where they think the decision came down from.

A lot of people seemingly don't think that the writers made this decision themselves and that it was a marketing ploy by Hasbro to sell toys. So combine some fan entitlement with good old anti-corporatism common to fans of animated television, and you've got yourself a nice little cauldron of shitstorm right there.

Edit: Or all these screamers are just a very distinct minority in the fanbase who just so happen to be the loudest. There's always that possibility.

Edit 2: Oh right, then there was this little tidbit that's also probably factoring into it.

Spoiler: show

http://mlpforums.com/topic/41863-alicor ... ol-rumors/

In an attempt to try to keep the least spoilerific as possible for those who don't know about what's going on: basically there was a post made on Reddit by this guy claiming to be a guy working on the show's 4th Season. Now, at the time of the leak, a lot of the stuff was just seen as troll fodder, as this had come around a bit of an earlier time in the 3rd Season, and some of his stuff was just seen as 'alright, wow, obviously a troll because this is the worst Hasbro could throw at us'.

Spoiler: show

I think a lot of this angst over Twilicorn might not just come from it alone, but also because of what it confirms to so many people, especially when lining it up with the post. That Hasbro is starting to force itself more into decision-making in the show with the sole intent of selling toys, that Derpy's been outright phased of even being a background gag and that generally the show is going to start being forced into the role more typically suited to the previous pony generations.

This also probably didn't help.

Spoiler: show

[Wittgen]

Yeah, the 4chan lineage is a big part of it, I think. Probably has a lot to do with the apparently deep ties between clop clop and child porn. Ugh. So gross.

And, yeah, boo corporate control of art. I hope they manage to push it beyond ridiculous. OK, so Twilight went Alicorn? Maybe next season she goes DOUBLE ALICORN!

[Farmer_10]

If Phasing Derpy out and making Twilight go Super Saiyan is the worst of the Executive Meddling, it should still be okay. If they try to force a completely new Seventh Mane Pony, then we're in trouble. That or turning them all into Alicorns.

[Arganaut]

If Phasing Derpy out and making Twilight go Super Saiyan is the worst of the Executive Meddling, it should still be okay. If they try to force a completely new Seventh Mane Pony, then we're in trouble. That or turning them all into Alicorns.

Like I said, I'm not one to panic, but I can get, and in some cases even somewhat agree with, the basics of what some of these people disagree with. It isn't so much that these two things are the worst they could do, but that they're signs that the executive meddling is getting more and more intrusive, and that MLP: FiM could just dive back to being standard MLP.

[JamestheFox]

The good news is that at least this joke can be made.

Heh. Revenge.

[Arganaut]

Welp, Fighting is Magic just got a C&D order.

So these past couple weeks we've had Youtube bans of Witchcraft and Mentally Advanced (among others), Twilicorn both confirming executive meddling and Derpy being banned and now we've got a non-profit, fan-project being taken down just as it was close to being finished.

You'd think Hasbro would at least wait until one shitstorm had died down completely before kicking up another one XD

(By the by, props to Lauren Faust for offering the Fighting is Magic team OCs to make the game with. That woman has been a saint throughout all this stuff)

[Wittgen]

I can almost picture the arc of corporate's stupidity. "Well, we've been pretty hands off on this last generation of ponies, and it's doing better than ever. If we get to work and start doing stuff, it'll succeed even more. Money!"

Oh ponies.

Anyone hear about how ponies are coming to Japan? I look forward to seeing if the voice acting and translation quality is better than the free fan stuff ogatomon has done. Also, Japanese merch could be cool.

[Arganaut]

Yeah, I actually saw that news. I don't really know who the voice actors are they've already released for Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, but I do know that they haven't announced for Twilight and Fluttershy. Makes me think they're getting some big names for those two.

Also, yeah, arc is probably the best way to describe what's going on right now. What do you think is going to be their next big move? Edit: And I mean, the next big move that would eclipse all the flank hurt that we've seen so far? C&Ding Equestria Daily?

[Arganaut]

Spoiler: show

.... You know, it isn't even that line at the mid-point that gets me, as trite as it is. No, I think I've pretty much put my finger on the very last thing that gets me about this that I don't think I've been able to precisely pin down before.

Spoiler: show

Beyond the 'you look just like a princess' dialogue I'm sure this episode is going to be full of, the big thing I've finally nailed down if this promo is anything to go by, and even if it isn't, the very structure of this episode informs us well enough. Throughout most of the series, it's been that we've referred to the general cast as the Mane Six. They're co-equal characters with their own dreams, talents and destinies that the show can, and especially after the first few episodes of Season 2, did break away from the rest of the group to observe and watch.

If this promo shows us anything, the episode, at best will reduce RD, PP, R, AJ and FS to sidekick status, no longer main characters in their own right, but rather secondary characters meant to help push the Twilight, as the main character, up in status. At worst, in this episode, they'll be reduced to obstacles meant to be overcome so that Twilight can achieve her 'destiny'.

Really, the only good thing to say about the promo is that we get confirmation that the Elements of Harmony are the single most powerful thing in this universe if they can literally transform the race of a pony.

We're only one week away from the episode. It could be great, or it could be pretty bad. I won't say awful because I don't think the DHX team has it in them to make a genuinely awful episode. Still, only time will tell.

EDIT:

Spoiler: show

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/02/m ... -container

Oh God. Oh God.

Favorite quote from the comments section, by the way?

Hasbro logic: "If we drive this franchise off a cliff, it'll fly!"

[Magnificate]

It wasn't actually all that bad of an episode.

Still, all that Twilight needed to do was to recast the spell several times and wait for the proper combination.

[JamestheFox]

That sounds about right. Really, the only thing I can think of concerning this episode is:

"So. Much. Singing."

That was a musical episode. And I was not prepared for it.

Also, "Are you crying?" "What? No, no! That's just... liquid pride."

That's the only part of this episode I currently have a solid opinion on, and that opinion is "HA! Creative!"