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My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season 4 |OT| Twilight Princess Returns

HUELEN10

Member
Finally got all 8 McDonald's Rainbow Power Ponies (plus a funrise PON-3!). Gotta say, Vinyl's easily the best one (only one without non show-accurate rainbow nonsense).
iX7X8Lq.png

Anyways, remember when we found out Twilight was going full alicorn? THIS might be as bad for some. WARNING, HUGE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 MIGHT FOLLOW!
It's just a click away. Thoughts?
 

brian577

Banned
Anyways, remember when we found out Twilight was going full alicorn? THIS might be as bad for some. WARNING, HUGE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 MIGHT FOLLOW!
It's just a click away. Thoughts?

Depending on how it goes down, this may be the final straw for me. I can accept Twilight as an Alicorn and even a princess with new responsibilities but I just have a really bad feeling about this. The thing that bugs me most is how she just seems to be going along with it because that's what Celestia wants. Her concerns are always brushed aside. She's never said what she wants to do with her life and no one ever seems to want to ask her. The rest of the mane 6's dreams and goals have been made clear since episode 1, but Twilight's dream seems to be whatever Celestia tells her it is. I want her stand up to Celestia and say "NO, this isn't my dream, this your dream for me". Having her rebel against her mentor would be great character development for her.
 

$200

Banned
Depending on how it goes down, this may be the final straw for me. I can accept Twilight as an Alicorn and even a princess with new responsibilities but I just have a really bad feeling about this. The thing that bugs me most is how she just seems to be going along with it because that's what Celestia wants. Her concerns are always brushed aside. She's never said what she wants to do with her life and no one ever seems to want to ask her. The rest of the mane 6's dreams and goals have been made clear since episode 1, but Twilight's dream seems to be whatever Celestia tells her it is. I want her stand up to Celestia and say "NO, this isn't my dream, this your dream for me". Having her rebel against her mentor would be great character development for her.
I'd love to see tyrant Twilight too

pictures relevant


 

HUELEN10

Member
Depending on how it goes down, this may be the final straw for me.
What was the first one, if I may ask?
I can accept Twilight as an Alicorn and even a princess with new responsibilities but I just have a really bad feeling about this. The thing that bugs me most is how she just seems to be going along with it because that's what Celestia wants. Her concerns are always brushed aside. She's never said what she wants to do with her life and no one ever seems to want to ask her. The rest of the mane 6's dreams and goals have been made clear since episode 1, but Twilight's dream seems to be whatever Celestia tells her it is. I want her stand up to Celestia and say "NO, this isn't my dream, this your dream for me". Having her rebel against her mentor would be great character development for her.
But learning about magic and being studious is her dream. Don't you remember the Grand Galloping Gala? Besides, If you've read the synopsis for the season finale, it deals with Celestia choosing SPOILER
DISCORD
instead of Twilight for something. You might just get your wish. As for me, Im glad they are focusing less on Twilight. This has been a pretty Twilight-light season so far, and is that really a bad thing?

Basically, I don't want the show to turn into The BRADICAL Adventures of PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle & Her Rainbow Key Toadies .
 

brian577

Banned
What was the first one, if I may ask?

But learning about magic and being studious is her dream. Don't you remember the Grand Galloping Gala? Besides, If you've read the synopsis for the season finale, it deals with Celestia choosing SPOILER
DISCORD
instead of Twilight for something. You might just get your wish. As for me, Im glad they are focusing less on Twilight. This has been a pretty Twilight-light season so far, and is that really a bad thing?

Basically, I don't want the show to turn into The BRADICAL Adventures of PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle & Her Rainbow Key Toadies .

The first was pushing the princess angle without even giving the alicorn transformation time to breath. Being an alicorn could have been just the first step instead they had to make her a princess on top of that. I don't like the idea of Twilight getting her own kingdom, it feels wrong. The whole transfer of power makes me wonder if they're going to get rid of Celestia and Luna. Your right she does like to study, but to what end? She obviously didn't know she was going to become a princess. Did she want to teach? What did she want to do with her life? She certainly didn't think she would be a Celestia's student forever.
 

HUELEN10

Member
The first was pushing the princess angle without even giving the alicorn transformation time to breath. Being an alicorn could have been just the first step instead they had to make a princess on top of that. I don't like the idea of Twilight getting her own kingdom, it feels wrong. The whole transfer of power makes me wonder if they're going to get rid of Celestia and Luna. Your right she does like to study, but to what end? She obviously didn't know she was going to become a princess. Did she want to teach? What did she want to do with her life? She certainly didn't think she would be a Celestia's student forever.
I really don't like mulling over the show extensively, but to me it is painfully obvious that what she wanted and expected to do was to be Celestia's right-hand magic master, like Starswirl before her.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
Anyways, remember when we found out Twilight was going full alicorn? THIS might be as bad for some. WARNING, HUGE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 MIGHT FOLLOW!
It's just a click away. Thoughts?

Hmm.

I guess a Princess ought to have
a castle... this one looks to be grown from the Tree of Harmony, right?

Mixed feelings. The further Twilight gets dragged from everyday life in Ponyville the more bummed out it makes me feel, so I'd hate to see her
move out of the Library.
Being a Princess hasn't had much of an effect on daily life for Twi in Season 4, so I'm not sure what the plan for her character would be in S5 if
she's off living in a castle somewhere.

Depending on how it goes down, this may be the final straw for me. I can accept Twilight as an Alicorn and even a princess with new responsibilities but I just have a really bad feeling about this. The thing that bugs me most is how she just seems to be going along with it because that's what Celestia wants. Her concerns are always brushed aside. She's never said what she wants to do with her life and no one ever seems to want to ask her. The rest of the mane 6's dreams and goals have been made clear since episode 1, but Twilight's dream seems to be whatever Celestia tells her it is. I want her stand up to Celestia and say "NO, this isn't my dream, this your dream for me". Having her rebel against her mentor would be great character development for her.

Part of me agrees with you, but based on events thus far I'd say that knowing what's best for Twilight is kinda Celestia's gimmick. Would Twilight have voluntarily stepped outside of her comfort zone back in the premiere if Celestia hadn't forced her to? Doesn't seem likely.

I'm willing to give Celestia the benefit of the doubt for now. Based on what we know about Cadance and what we're seeing with Twilight, I feel like this Kingmaker (Princessmaker?) thing Celestia has going on might be for the best.

As a final footnote, it seems like the latest comic has a lot to answer for with all the Starswirl/Celestia stuff.
 
God!! Twilight should finally put her foot down and say enough is enough!
We never hear what she wants and it's always some nonsense Celestia spouts about destiny. She's worse than Dumbledore!
I blame Megan McCarthy for this, the show doesn't need this. Lauren wanted it to be an adventure (travel equestria) series mixed with Slice of Life.
 

Tenumi

Banned
It makes me laugh watching people get upset over things that may or may not happen. Most of the time it always seems to be "Lauren Faust wouldn't have done this!" as if they know exactly what she would have done with the show going into its 5th season. Fact of the matter is that she's not in charge, and nobody knows what she would have done.

"Leave the Fandom", whatever, that makes me laugh, too. Sure, stop watching a television show, nobody will stop you from doing that. But it just seems hillarious that the goingons of a TV show matter that much.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
I blame Megan McCarthy for this, the show doesn't need this. Lauren wanted it to be an adventure (travel equestria) series mixed with Slice of Life.

As Tenumi pointed out, this is a dangerous attitude to take. It's easy to blame all your issues on the current showrunner while singing the praises of whoever came before, but the truth is that what little insight we have into Lauren Faust's intentions don't qualify us to project all our hopes for the show onto her.
 
Can't base everything on what the creator wanted. After all, if we did what Gene Roddenberry wanted, we wouldn't have the more cynical tones of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
 

Tenumi

Banned
Can't base everything on what the creator wanted. After all, if we did what Gene Roddenberry wanted, we wouldn't have the more cynical tones of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

And thank goodness we got those in DS9. I can't imagine the show having the same kind of following without them.

Right now, the only time that I can recall Lauren Faust made any comment on the show post-leave was about Cadance not originally being an Alicorn.

I didn't intend to be mean, but I can see how it'd probably be taken that way. Sorry about that. I do have problems with that sometimes.
 

Darksol

Member
It makes me laugh watching people get upset over things that may or may not happen. Most of the time it always seems to be "Lauren Faust wouldn't have done this!" as if they know exactly what she would have done with the show going into its 5th season. Fact of the matter is that she's not in charge, and nobody knows what she would have done.

"Leave the Fandom", whatever, that makes me laugh, too. Sure, stop watching a television show, nobody will stop you from doing that. But it just seems hillarious that the goingons of a TV show matter that much.

I know what you mean. I just chalk it up to passionate fans. We're all prone to go a little bit overboard now and again. Things like Twilight being a princess or an alicorn don't bother me, personally, but whatever.

This season has probably been my favourite season since the first season, so I guess that's why I'm not worried about the direction of the show.
 

Orcastar

Member
As Tenumi pointed out, this is a dangerous attitude to take. It's easy to blame all your issues on the current showrunner while singing the praises of whoever came before, but the truth is that what little insight we have into Lauren Faust's intentions don't qualify us to project all our hopes for the show onto her.
There is the fact that the show was better when Faust was still in charge.

And thank goodness we got those in DS9. I can't imagine the show having the same kind of following without them.

Right now, the only time that I can recall Lauren Faust made any comment on the show post-leave was about Cadance not originally being an Alicorn.

I didn't intend to be mean, but I can see how it'd probably be taken that way. Sorry about that. I do have problems with that sometimes.
She's made plenty of comments about what kind of plans she had for the mane 6, what kind of foreshadowing she put into the early episodes, etc.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
There is the fact that the show was better when Faust was still in charge.

Faust had the easy job, though. Writing a season or two while the characters are still fresh and new is a totally different kettle of fish to trying to find interesting stories to tell four seasons down the road (especially in the context of a kids show where you're limited in what you can and can't change).

Lauren did remarkable work, but McCarthy got the trickier end of the bargain IMO.
 

Orcastar

Member
I'm as critical about Twilight's development as anyone but let's not start claiming that one's enjoyment of the show isn't subjective.
Quality does not necessarily correlate with enjoyment; there are many things of questionable quality that people nevertheless enjoy. See Family Guy, Big Bang Theory, the Twilight Saga, the Wii U.

OK, I'm being facetious here, but personally, I found seasons 1 and 2 of MLP much better than season 3 was and what season 4 has been so far.

Faust had the easy job, though. Writing a season or two while the characters are still fresh and new is a totally different kettle of fish to trying to find interesting stories to tell four seasons down the road (especially in the context of a kids show where you're limited in what you can and can't change).

Lauren did remarkable work, but McCarthy got the trickier end of the bargain IMO.

Yeah, Faust only created the characters and the world and planned their development for years to come. So easy.

Also, it's funny that you should mention the limitations of making a kids' show when one of the reasons why Faust quit was that Hasbro started to take away the creative freedom that she had originally been given.

Besides, the quality of some of the official comics (specifically the ones by Cook and Price) proves that it is indeed possible to still tell interesting stories at this point. The team working on the TV show, however, is not telling them, for whatever reason.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
Yeah, Faust only created the characters and the world and planned their development for years to come. So easy.

But that IS the easy job. I'm not saying the work itself isn't difficult (of course it is), but having a vision for that stuff is what creative people do.

McCarthy on the other hand had to take someone else's world and try to live in it. She didn't have the benefit of being the visionary behind the show, and instead had to make all of that stuff her own.

Also, it's funny that you should mention the limitations of making a kids' show when one of the reasons why Faust quit was that Hasbro started to take away the creative freedom that she had originally been given.

Yup. Just another reason why McCarthy ought to be cut a break.

Besides, the quality of some of the official comics (specifically the ones by Cook and Price) proves that it is indeed possible to still tell interesting stories at this point. The team working on the TV show, however, is not telling them, for whatever reason.

I feel like Hasbro probably have the TV production team on a much tighter leash than we know. At the end of the day, the series is still considered a key vector for selling toys, whereas the comics don't seem to serve that purpose at all. I'd be very surprised if the comic writers aren't allowed to do more-or-less what they like compared with the TV writers.
 

Orcastar

Member
But that IS the easy job. I'm not saying the work itself isn't difficult (of course it is), but having a vision for that stuff is what creative people do.

McCarthy on the other hand had to take someone else's world and try to live in it. She didn't have the benefit of being the visionary behind the show, and instead had to make all of that stuff her own.



Yup. Just another reason why McCarthy ought to be cut a break.



I feel like Hasbro probably have the TV production team on a much tighter leash than we know. At the end of the day, the series is still considered a key vector for selling toys, whereas the comics don't seem to serve that purpose at all. I'd be very surprised if the comic writers aren't allowed to do more-or-less what they like compared with the TV writers.

You make some valid points, but at the end of the day, the show is still worse than it was in seasons 1 and 2 (in my opinion). Whether this is because of McCarthy, Hasbro's meddling, the limitations imposed on the show or all of the above is irrelevant. I don't exclusively blame McCarthy for the decline in the show's quality like some people do, but neither do I agree that she ought to cut a break, because as show-runner she is still at least partly responsible for it.

In other words, understanding why the quality of the show has declined does not make the show any better for me.
 

$200

Banned
You make some valid points, but at the end of the day, the show is still worse than it was in seasons 1 and 2 (in my opinion). Whether this is because of McCarthy, Hasbro's meddling, the limitations imposed on the show or all of the above is irrelevant. I don't exclusively blame McCarthy for the decline in the show's quality like some people do, but neither do I agree that she ought to cut a break, because as show-runner she is still at least partly responsible for it.

In other words, understanding why the quality of the show has declined does not make the show any better for me.

I like season 4 more than 1 (and possibly 2) and don't really like the comics so can't really relate to that.
 

HUELEN10

Member
What is not to love about the comics? Friends Forever 1 was a piece of shit, I'll give you that, but everything else is solid.

Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair is fucking god tier.
 

$200

Banned
What is not to love about the comics? Friends Forever 1 was a piece of shit, I'll give you that, but everything else is solid.

Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair is fucking god tier.

Well I just don't feel they are special compared to say other comics out there. But the show for me is my absolutely favorite show.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
You make some valid points, but at the end of the day, the show is still worse than it was in seasons 1 and 2 (in my opinion). Whether this is because of McCarthy, Hasbro's meddling, the limitations imposed on the show or all of the above is irrelevant. I don't exclusively blame McCarthy for the decline in the show's quality like some people do, but neither do I agree that she ought to cut a break, because as show-runner she is still at least partly responsible for it.

In other words, understanding why the quality of the show has declined does not make the show any better for me.

Fair enough. Season 1 and 2 are undoubtedly great seasons.

I feel like the production team got screwed hard with Season 3, though. People were already concerned about the Princess Twilight thing, so halving the run to make way for Equestria Girls just meant the Coronation came around twice as abruptly, and less episodes meant that the poorer ones stuck out twice as much.

Definitely not the kind of circumstances you want for your first season without a beloved prior showrunner.
 

brian577

Banned
I'm about to open up a can of worms so bear with me. Mulling over last weeks episode I have a few problems. 1. Twilight trying to cheer Dash up by rattling off things like pranks and reading Daring Do. Why not Dash's skill as flyer? You can't tell me she learned everything on her own. 2. And this is where things get ugly, I can't help but feel that Amy Keating Rogers was projecting her son's learning disability on to a character who has never been shown to suffer from such problems. Dash is a sociable and functional member of society, she runs the weather team,and she's capable of taking care of herself. It seemed frankly wholly in appropriate to the character.

Over-thinking things? Maybe. But Dash's portrayal in the episode bothered me.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
2. And this is where things get ugly, I can't help but feel that Amy Keating Rogers was projecting her son's learning disability on to a character who has never been shown to suffer from such problems. Dash is a sociable and functional member of society, she runs the weather team,and she's capable of taking care of herself. It seemed frankly wholly in appropriate to the character.

I suspect you're right about Keating-Rogers using her experiences with her son to inform Dash's situation, but I can't say I saw it as a huge problem. The suggestion isn't that Dash has a learning disability; it's that different people learn in different ways. Disregarding Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy's teaching methods (which were all pretty dicey, lets be honest), we're left with Twilight, whose method of studying is extremely traditional book-learning type-stuff. Twi learns in the classroom, Dash learns outside of it.
 

brian577

Banned
The suggestion isn't that Dash has a learning disability; it's that different people learn in different ways.

It wasn't really a learning technique IMO, they used a trick to get around the problem. Dash didn't even try to learn through Twilight's methods which fits her lazy personality and disinterest in academics. This episode should have done for Dash what Read Em and Weep did, get her to realize the value in something she considers a waste of time. You make a good point of Dash being better at learning things in the field which is why I expected AJ to be the one to come with the solution.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
It wasn't really a learning technique IMO, they used a trick to get around the problem.

No they didn't. They solved the problem by discovering the way in which Dash most effectively absorbs information.

Dash didn't even try to learn through Twilight's methods which fits her lazy personality and disinterest in academics. This episode should have done for Dash what Read Em and Weep did, get her to realize the value in something she considers a waste of time.

She did try to learn through Twi's methods, she just struggled to stay focussed. We've seen plenty of times that Dash has a short attention span, so it didn't come as much of a surprise to me that she'd react that way. I've known plenty of people like that in real life actually, and none of them have/had learning disabilities to my knowledge.

You make a good point of Dash being better at learning things in the field which is why I expected AJ to be the one to come with the solution.

I think AJ probably would've fared pretty similarly to Dash had she been put in the same situation. I feel like neither character would ever actively think about "learning"; rather they learn as a by-product of doing while not paying the process much mind.
 

Frantic Fanatic

Neo Member
Anyways, remember when we found out Twilight was going full alicorn? THIS might be as bad for some. WARNING, HUGE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 MIGHT FOLLOW!
It's just a click away. Thoughts?

How are people going to check out books now? I bet they're all coated in crystal as well.


I'm also under the impression that Twilight wants to teach, at least according to Twilight Time. What does Princess Celestia do when she isn't being all royal? Teaching. You don't have to be a teacher to teach.

Of course one could also surmise that Twilight herself doesn't know what she wants in life. I met plenty of people in high school who were professional students, they thrived in academic life but couldn't actually survive in real life.

Another argument could be is that Twilight could be so in love (platonicly) with Princess Celestia that she no longer has any other aspirations then what the princess wants.

Or maybe I'll just watch the show and see what happens next.
 

Orcastar

Member
How are people going to check out books now? I bet they're all coated in crystal as well.


I'm also under the impression that Twilight wants to teach, at least according to Twilight Time. What does Princess Celestia do when she isn't being all royal? Teaching. You don't have to be a teacher to teach.

Of course one could also surmise that Twilight herself doesn't know what she wants in life. I met plenty of people in high school who were professional students, they thrived in academic life but couldn't actually survive in real life.

Another argument could be is that Twilight could be so in love (platonicly) with Princess Celestia that she no longer has any other aspirations then what the princess wants.

Or maybe I'll just watch the show and see what happens next.

Or you could read the comics since they address these issues better than the show ever will.
 

Frantic Fanatic

Neo Member
Or you could read the comics since they address these issues better than the show ever will.
That would involve reading. Reading paper. :/

I know it's a bit of a cop-out to rely on the MST3K mantra, but I just can't seem to get riled up over these issues. The show was built on a solid foundation, it still shows. Episodes come, episodes go. You think too much about it, you'll never be happy.

(It's how I survived reading fanfiction.)
 

Tenumi

Banned
That would involve reading. Reading paper. :/

I know it's a bit of a cop-out to rely on the MST3K mantra, but I just can't seem to get riled up over these issues. The show was built on a solid foundation, it still shows. Episodes come, episodes go. You think too much about it, you'll never be happy.

(It's how I survived reading fanfiction.)

You're a good person. That's exactly my attitude. I can't change the show, nor do i want to. I just want to enjoy it, period.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
That would involve reading. Reading paper. :/

One word: Comixology. You'll still have to read of course, but without the hassle of pesky paper.

I know it's a bit of a cop-out to rely on the MST3K mantra, but I just can't seem to get riled up over these issues. The show was built on a solid foundation, it still shows. Episodes come, episodes go. You think too much about it, you'll never be happy.

(It's how I survived reading fanfiction.)

You're a good person. That's exactly my attitude. I can't change the show, nor do i want to. I just want to enjoy it, period.

This is a great attitude in general, but it's especially good in regards to shows like MLP where telling fun stories for kids is always going to come before complex arcs or consistent world-building. We've been incredibly lucky to get an uncommon amount of both of those things already.

I try to focus on enjoying the show for what it is, rather than wishing it'd be something else.
 

Village

Member
That would involve reading. Reading paper. :/

I know it's a bit of a cop-out to rely on the MST3K mantra, but I just can't seem to get riled up over these issues. The show was built on a solid foundation, it still shows. Episodes come, episodes go. You think too much about it, you'll never be happy.

(It's how I survived reading fanfiction.)

Whats wrong with criticism?
 

Village

Member
Nothing, in theory. It's only when you start to become critical and demanding to the point that it increasingly prevents you from enjoying the show that I'd say it's gotten out of hand.

I don't think that its gotten out of hand, it just mean you don't enjoy the show any more. Or you wish to enjoy it and you think it could be better.

Thats just life.

Shit ain't rainbow's and pony's all the time dude. Some times people critical of the entertainment they ingest, I don't see how you can fault someone for that.
( pun untended )
 

PaulloDEC

Member
I don't think that its gotten out of hand, it just mean you don't enjoy the show any more. Or you wish to enjoy it and you think it could be better.

Thats just life.

Shit ain't rainbow's and pony's all the time dude. Some times people critical of the entertainment they ingest, I don't see how you can fault someone for that.
( pun untended )

I don't fault people for being critical in most cases, but some shows just aren't super conducive to it. A lot of MLP fans get wrapped up in wishful thinking and fanon to the point that they start to enjoy the show less when it doesn't measure up. I don't fault people for that exactly, but it does make me sad to see them willingly dismantling their enjoyment of the show as a result.

There's a comfortable middle-ground to be had. You can view the show in a critical way without imposing unrealistic standards on it.
 
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