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KYM Pony General VI: Return of the Poni

Last posted Apr 19, 2013 at 12:20AM EDT. Added Jul 01, 2012 at 04:43PM EDT
10166 posts from 235 users

I never liked the friendship reports very much, so I am happy that they don't have to be written anymore. They were always quite unnecessary as the episode's message was usually obvious. They worked as some kind of tl;dr summary or study guide so that the message couldn't be misinterpreted, but it felt more like the sledgehammer method here.

You could see it this way: The show is maturing and gains more time for the story, dialogue and action. They are trusting the (younger) viewers with grasping the ideas and moral behind the episodes without talking down to them.

tl;dr

Whitishcollar wrote:

I never liked the friendship reports very much, so I am happy that they don't have to be written anymore. They were always quite unnecessary as the episode's message was usually obvious. They worked as some kind of tl;dr summary or study guide so that the message couldn't be misinterpreted, but it felt more like the sledgehammer method here.

You could see it this way: The show is maturing and gains more time for the story, dialogue and action. They are trusting the (younger) viewers with grasping the ideas and moral behind the episodes without talking down to them.

tl;dr

I really liked the friendship reports because at least it made Princess Celestia seem like she actually does something on the show.

As much as I love Luna, can't Celestia get her own episode? She's more of a background character than Applejack at this point.

True to my word, I watched the newest episode for the first time yesterday. Was it awesome?

Fluttershy: "If anything happens to them, Twilight, then so help me…!"

Me: Bursts into laughter

At that point, I knew the episode was going to be amazing. And it was! The fact that they brought back a S1 villain is great into and of itself, but then they kept referencing back to previous episodes and "brony culture" right up to the 4th wall breaking at the end!

Just some cool stuff that I noticed and has probably already been talked about by now… I guess I'll put it in a spoiler tag, for those of you who haven't seen the episode yet and to save space for those of you who don't want to listen to my ramblings.

I'm pretty sure this was the first time we actually heard the term "alicorn" in the show, right? Looks like it's canon now.

Pinkiemouth.exe gets dragged to the trash bin. Words do not describe how funny I found this.

A couple references to previous episodes: parasprites, the mustache, and the rock farm. And, of course, Trixie's magic television was a nice touch. I really enjoyed their little magic duel!

And then… Rule 63 Applejack. What? I mean… what? I was shocked. Amazed, but also shocked. I think the internet is leaking…

Saddle Arabian ponies are actually horses. I guess that makes sense though. However, this also looks like the first mention of another country (besides Equestria/Kingdom of Canterlot). So that's pretty neat too. Looks like there is actually a whole world out there after all!

Trixie: "That was supposed to make you writhe in agony!!!"
Boy, that escalated quickly! Seriously, WRITHE IN AGONY? And I thought this was supposed to be a kids' show!

Now then, some relevant discussion material. Did you notice that Snails' cutie mark changed after the age spell? Do you think this was simply due to the spell, or could a pony's cutie mark actually change with age? Hmmm…

Also, and I know this has been mentioned before, but this episode was filled with what one might call "fan service." In this case, I really don't think it was a bad thing (heck, this episode is probably my favourite of S3 so far!), but how do you think this sort of fan service has affected the show in general? I mean, if it weren't for the fandom, how different do you think the show would be? The episodes seem to be getting crazier and crazier (in general), and maybe even a bit darker, and it seems that the show has evolved far beyond what it originally was.

To sum it up, I wonder what this newest episode (or season, or the show in general for that matter) would have been like if the brony fandom didn't exist… I guess only the little 6-year-olds in some weird alternate universe know for sure.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 10:37AM EST

Serious Business wrote:

@DeadParrot



That was the loveliest pun I've ever heard.

Rarijack confirmed canon.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 11:43AM EST

In response to your point about Saddle Arabia being the first foreign country to be mentioned…

Wouldn't the Crystal Empire be a separate nation on to itself? They never really distinguish between the two…

@Commodore 64
I think the more adult fandom may motivate the show to continue to make really good episodes a little bit, but they still made good episodes before us Bronies existed. There are certainly a few subtle nods to the fandom, but as a whole, it is difficult to gauge how much fans like us have an effect (other than the obvious bit of increasing the shows popularity and making it more profitable, thus increasing the amount of resources Hasbro is willing to put into it.) Its impossible to know what the show would be like without the fandom, other than a few specific scenes that were obviously meant for us. I think the show might have less "scary" things (the Changelings, Evil Trixie, Sombra, etc.) but that is just a guess.

burning_phoneix wrote:

In response to your point about Saddle Arabia being the first foreign country to be mentioned…

Wouldn't the Crystal Empire be a separate nation on to itself? They never really distinguish between the two…

Ah yes, true dat. Wow, how did that slip my mind? Although, it is very close to Equestria and if Cadance is its princess, then they seem to share a royal family. But that isn't really uncommon between monarchies.

But Saddle Arabia is inhabited by an entirely different species though. So, maybe one day we'll see a nation of Minotaurs or Griffons. That would be cool!

@Commodore
Just make sure you don't accidentally empty your bin!

As for your actual topics:

@Cutie marks
Cutie marks changing over time is an interesting idea.
Obviously, in Snails' case, it was done in service of a joke, but there may be something to it anyway.
I'm unsure of how a child would get a pipe cutie mark…

Maybe a pony's mark can change and evolve over their lifetime just as a person's talents and interests change as they age.
Unlikely to ever become a thing in the show, but somewhat interesting.

@Fanservice
Well, the major fanservice element of this episode was Trixie herself and I think it's fairly obvious that bronies had a substantial effect in that area.
As entertaining as Trixie's first appearance was, I really don't think that the writers would have brought her back (or at least not brought her back this quickly) were it not for her internet popularity.
In that way, yes, we have had an effect.
In other ways, I'm really not so sure.
Yes, the show has become a bit darker and the jokes have become wilder and more wacky, but is that a result of the fans or simply a product of the writers and animators getting more comfortable with the show's format and really playing with the material?
I'd guess it's more of the latter than the former.
We aren't insignificant or anything, but most of the people involved in this version of MLP were brought on specifically because they wouldn't make the same old 'show for girls' junk that the brand was known for before this generation.
Now, that said, they may at least feel more confident about their style choices, gags, and references since they know there are fans out there who will fully appreciate them, but I do think that many of them would have existed regardless.

@Cute Stuff
Why have people not drawn more of Fluttershy with her Teddy Bear?

There is so much potential here for classic MLP 'weaponized cuteness' yet I've only seen two pictures!

<div class=spoiler title="Episode 10 Synopsis!">

Looks like we're getting more of both Applejack and Spike!
Very nice!
I'm very curious to know how Applejack will be 'saving' Spike, too.
Will she just be assisting him greatly (as in 'saving his ass' from missing a deadline or getting in trouble), or will Spike actually end up in some kind of mortal danger here?
LET THE SHIPPING COMMENCE!

(Weaver has been humorously shipping Applejack and Spike for some time now. I'm sure he's going to have even more fun with this episode.)

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 12:34PM EST

Weaponized cuteness? Fluttershy with teddy bear? We'd better be careful what we draw, otherwise this will end up like that "Funniest Joke in the World" Monty Python skit…

Cutest Image in the World… An unstoppable force.

Good heavens, I like your posts too much DeadParrot. And this topic is too interesting for me to stay on my hiatus.

Yes, the show has become a bit darker and the jokes have become wilder and more wacky, but is that a result of the fans or simply a product of the writers and animators getting more comfortable with the show’s format and really playing with the material?

Like you say, I think it's more due to the creators becoming more comfortable with the show and their boundaries than it is adhering to broneis' expectations.
 
When first making the show, the episodes probably wouldn't have included the line "writhe in agony." In fact, it struck me as odd to see the Crystal Ponies enslaved in the second Crystal Empire episode and then seeing one cry out in a panicked terror once she realized that King Sombrero (it's his name now) might come back to power. The look in her eyes wasn't goofy at all.

But I think that Hasbro and DHX began to realize that there was a significant older demographic and that the younger demographic can handle some darker or quirky humor (don't trust wheels.) It's probably just a realization that younger adults (or middle aged adults) saw Looney Tunes where Bugs Bunny kissed various male characters, Elmer Fudd shot anything that claimed to be a rabbit (or was deemed a rabbit,) and even later when Courage the Cowardly Dog had some very grimdark moments. Now those shows weren't targeted towards young girls, but young girls (like Lauren Faust and sibsy) probably loved these cartoons while growing up and came to produce and create this one as it stands.

Hasbro and DHX probably just feel like they have more room to create and produce. I think the first season executed "playing it safe" as well as anyone can. Going into the development of the second season (Pinkamena in Party of One, Flutterrage in Best Night Ever, the Return of Harmony episodes, and Twilight Snapple in Lesson Zero), Hasbro probably cleared the concepts for different kinds of episodes which were a stark contrast from a petty (albeit entertaining) set of altercations in Look Before You Sleep and lessons about prejudice in Bridle Gossip

Later in the development of Season 2, I think everyone noticed how much the writers, animators, and Jayson Thiessen himself um, felt… like they could actually be even more creative with FiM. And then outside of the slightly grimdark areas of late Season 1/early Season 2, lines such as giving a flying feather or the ship fuel of Rarijack (which you could see without shipping goggles) probably didn't mean that the writers weren't appealing to bronies as much as they felt comfortable about using all of the forms of humor the writers personally felt comfortable with presenting to children.

Such humor would include a cute (and rather smooth) line from AJ to Rarity or Fluttershy threatening Twilight when they might hold off on it earlier in the development of the series (although threats weren't unheard of previously.)

I just think that MLP:FiM is reaching its potential. Hasbro probably began to see it with the brony community being as zealous as it is from its onset, but even older teen girls like it. (Check the search term "My Little Pony" on Twitter. It's not broneis that are putting in the phrase on the other side of the world every minute, not mentioning the tons of times it gets tweeted in the Western hemisphere.) Hasbro has probably said "keep it "TV Y7/PG-13" and throws in mentions for toys here and there.
 
If that is the case, then I think the creators really will feel like it's just a good show to work on instead of working within the context of what is expected for My Little Pony (if they haven't felt that way for a while now.)

RandomMan wrote:

Rarijack confirmed canon.

You better believe it!
Applejack is always there when Rarity needs some support:

And Rarity does her best to keep Applejack nice and clean:

Spike is troubled:

@Twilitlord


Also note that they referred to AJ as 'him.'

Verbose:

If that is the case, then I think the creators really will feel like it’s just a good show to work on instead of working within the context of what is expected for My Little Pony (if they haven’t felt that way for a while now.)

I think this is the main cause of the recent "crazyness" right here. MLP:FiM is just a good show for the sake of being a good show, not just a show about ponies. I think this was talked about before as well, but one reason it is such a good show is that while you're watching it you forget that it's about ponies. Really, the MLP universe is full of all sorts of places, characters, and other things that make you focus more on the story being told than how it's told. Then you step back a minute and realize that it's about ponies, but if anything that just makes it better because it's kind of unexpected and outside the boundaries of what one would call a stereotypical "pony show." Not that the presentation isn't important mind you, it looks and sounds great too!

Now that it has gotten off the ground, the people behind it know that the audience knows to expect the unexpected, and so they aren't afraid to give it to them! I'm alright with that!


@Rarijack

Oh my, the hints have been there all along! Hmmm, how suspicious… Although it's probably just coincidence. OR IS IT???

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 03:15PM EST

By the way, does anyone know what this random cluster of stars is doing in the middle of the night sky after Trixie runs away in the new episode?

It almost looks like a random connect-the-dots message of some sort… There's even a little constellation for a signature in the lower corner…

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 03:39PM EST

UPDATE:
Did some fooling around with the image above and found out why the stars looked so funny. Color coded for your eye-hurting pleasure.

Looks like a false alarm…

EDIT:
@Windigo

o_o

With some cleaning up that could actually be a really clever easter egg the artists threw in there.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 04:21PM EST

@Star thingy…
I actually thought it looked like some kind of train. But really, if they were trying some foreshadowy stuff, they would have made it look a lot less… Blurry.


Anyways…

I wanted to bring up something…

So far, there's been like, 3 Canon Alicorns, and 2 from other media. But there isn't a sixth yet to round it out.

6 is great for rounding out group numbers in theory, considering the fact of the Mane 6… So There's a question… What should the 6th be?

…I mean, other that Twilight, she's got her own group.

Maybe someone could go out and start a contest… It'd be nice to see what others can come up with.

For a Recap of the current ones:
Celestia- Sun
Luna- Moon
Cadence- Love
Leon- Unknown, possibly Nobility
Skyla- Unknown, possibly Sky
?-? (whichever comes next, other than Twilight.)


Twilight Sparkle- Magic

(Side note: If you're thinking of suggesting the Fausticorn, please remember that her status probably puts her in a separate group to the Alicorns, much like Twilight would be if she were to become one.)

Anyways, I'd love to see what any of you can come up with. And I'd like you guys to share what you can; whether it's coming up with your own, or nominating a good idea you found elsewhere. Share it if you can.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 05:13PM EST

Gigatoast wrote:

@DeadParrot:
Yeah man! Remember those like, four times AJ and Rarity shared a scene together outside of look before you sleep, they're totally into each other. #shipperlogic

You ship Screwball with Screwloose, don't judge me on my boats when you have such horrible tastes. #plebeians

Dear god Giga, do your claws know no retreat? No ship is save, even threeways are no mystery to you.


@Windigo

It's totally two horses "riding" each other, look at the lines connecting:

It's obvious they fricked. Another ship confirmed by Hasbro.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 05:52PM EST

No way, dudes!
All you guys are overlooking the one true love story of the show!

ULTIMATE OTP!

@Giga
I probably should have made it more obvious, but just so you know, I don't take shipping very seriously at all.
It can be funny to look at how different characters interact (and this fandom has a tendency to ship any ponies that do as little as stand near each other, look somewhat similar, or presumably have similar interests) but I'll never be one of those people looking for any actual romantic relationships to appear in the show.
All in good fun!

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 07:20PM EST

I can’t stop watching the ponies now. They’ve infiltrated my dreams. I must watch them to keep them from haunting my slumber.


@Shipping discussion I appear to have walked in on: I've never liked shipping at all. I think it's just sort of stupid, and sometimes can be tasteless (in concept or in art) and disregardful of what canon would likely suggest, or already does.

@ SleepingOrange in relation to shipping
You ARE a new member aren't you. Don't worry, I don't personally have strong opinions on it either way, and really I see most of it as humorous/ not to be taken seriously. I think I've liked a few soft ship comics, but mostly because it was drawings of two adorable ponies more than anything. All fandoms have shipping in some shape or form. If it bothers you that much, pretend its all a joke (I know there exists a fic out there with Rainbow Dash X kitchen sink, just to have the the phrase "she's been shipped with everything including the kitchen sink"). You'll get along better with an attitude of "its all just a joke" I think.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 07:43PM EST

@Jacob:

Indeed I am a new member.


Yeah, it's not that I don't see the potential humor in shipping, but it does not bother me, really. Rather, I just don't see the humor in shipping personally. I don't enjoy seeing ships myself; they just sort of fall flat to me. But I know that it's all just joking around, and some people like it more than I do. Which is fine. Believe me, I'm alright with it. I just don't like it like others do.

(I'm not a canon elitist, either.)


Rainbow Dash X Kitchen Sink? Oh Lord…

chowzburgerz wrote:

@Zeroblue4 Who's Leon?

He/She is a young Alicorn introduced in a throwaway moment in some magazine. I think it was French…

The Color scheme for Leon is similar to Blue-Blood, but uses Rainbow Dash's model and mane.

And…that model is in filly mode; so despite the "boy's name" Leon looks like a girl.

Other than that, information is limited to Leon being a cousin of Celestia.

…Both Hasbro and the third party hasn't used Leon since.

As such, despite being part of (probably) sanctioned merchandise, Leon is probably not canon (yet).

That's it. That's all I've got.

"I-It was only one date, I swear! Why does everypony keep making such a big deal out of it?!"

And if we're talking 'inanimate ships,' it doesn't get much more inanimate than Bloomberg X Tom!

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 08:50PM EST

@Solaire

Which Princest? LunaXCelestia? CelestiaXCadence? LunaXCadence?

Really, all three count; since cadence is their "Niece".

… I know which one you probably mean… But for the sake of clarity, it must be said.

DeadParrot said something along the lines of

Just make sure you don't empty your recycling bin!

>Bitmap
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Do you even Flash?

@Constellations

I think I found it.

I TRIED TO TELL YOU GUYS TRIXIE WAS AWESOME AND Y'ALL WERE LIKE NAH SCREW THAT NOISE AND I WAS ALL NAH SCREW YOU FARTMONGER AND NOW SHE HAS THE BEST EPISODE IN SEASON 3 SO FAR OH MY GOD I'M GONNA GEEK OUT FOR A MINUTE

M.A. Larson does the absolute best with secondary characters. He helped flesh out Luna AND Trixie now. I wouldn't mind seeing an episode from him that expanded upon Celestia, Fancy Pants, The Wonderbolts, or any other secondary characters of interest. He also did so without downplaying the conflict. Trixie's tricks were mean-spirited any way you look at it, but when you torture someone by turning them into a basketball and dunking them, I gotta give you points for style. Funny, but without sacrificing a sense of antagonism. I really enjoyed was how he effectively combines the popular fanon representations of Trixie. A little bit of sad Trixie due to her mistreatment after the Ursa incident, a whole lot of vengeful Trixie, and a little bit of regretful Trixie towards the end. She has a lot more depth now, but still retains her egotistical bitchness that made her appealing to people who liked her before, even going so far as to boast about how apologetic she was. The call back to the mustache spell was great, Lyra holding the drink hanging out with Bon-Bon was a nice subtle shout-out, and we got another Star Wars reference, complete with Zecora playing the role Faust had intended! Overall, I think Larson may be one of the best, if not the best writer on staff.

AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO NIT-PICK

Overanalysis, ho! While I do think that Mister Larson's writing excels in humor and story, I realized that he does have some weak points. Since that lengthy post about wanting to see the Flutterdragon episode in Cindy Morrow's writing style, I've been paying more attention to specific writers and the way they characterize each pony. Larson writes quite possibly the best Rainbow Dash (Sonic Rainboom/Cutie Mark Chronicles), he does fairly well with Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie as well, but I feel the other three fall a bit short. He's not necessarily bad at writing Applejack, at least, not worse than any of the other writers. But he sort of gives her the background pony treatment (also, just like the other writers :P). He's probably done the best job so far, considering he wrote Cider Squeezy, but that was still more of a Flim and Flam episode (like I said, he does better with secondary characters). Rarity and Fluttershy on the other hand, I can't say I'm fond of his portrayal of them. Rarity acts like she's from G3, and Fluttershy is a bigger wuss than normal. He does write some humorous stuff for them though:

@shipping discussion

I think I’ve liked a few soft ship comics, but mostly because it was drawings of two adorable ponies more than anything.

I must echo Jacob's thoughts on this one. Though, I'm dangerously close to saving my first image folder dedicated to shipping.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 10:08PM EST

SHIPPING WOOHOO

I support whatever ships I think are best represented in fanart and fanfiction. so, I ship Vinyl and Tavi because of fanart like this

I'm less likely to ship if it if the artistry supporting it isn't as good as other works I see.

(I find this image hilarious btw.)

@Shipping discussion

@Jackal Lantern

It's funny you dislike Larson's writing for Fluttershy. Usually, Fluttershy is firmly my least favorite of the mane six. When Larson writes for her though, I really enjoy the character. She was one of my favorite parts of this episode and Luna Eclipsed.

That's gold.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 10:29PM EST

Okay, due to nagging curriosity; I went on a quest to find exactly how Luna and Celestia are Related to their nephews and Neices. Using Blueblood as an example.

Edit: oh yeah, forgot to mention that Lauren's words say "no siblings" and "Mother's side", so yeah.

True nephew- Not possible, It's said neither of them have children. And they don't have any other Siblings. Also, saying "mother's side" is pointless here.
Half Nephew- Maybe, but, that would mean they have a Half sibling; and I'm sure that counts as "siblings they don't have"…
Step Nephew- Needs a step brother which May also count as siblings they don't have. Possible under the right definition, but doubt it. And more importantly, it's not blood relative "on mother's side" so pointless to discuss.
Nephew in law- Means either Luna or Celestia are Married. But then… To who? And more importantly, why wouldn't we have head of them? It's crazy, but it's the most plausible theory I have… Until I realize the fact that it would make the "on their mother's side" comment null.
Adopted Nephew- So… Assuming none of those, that would mean either they had an adopted Brother, or one of the two has adopted children… Neither of which fits neatly Outside of "no children, no siblings" nor within

So… Under analysis… It appears that without some concession to the "no children, no more brothers/sisters" rule… That means that one of them is married… But then again, there's a problem… It's specifically mentioned that they are related on "their mother's side"… Which makes no sense if it's married.

So one way or another, the "no sibling" Rule has to have a concession somewhere to make sense.

Gah! This is impossible! It makes no sense! Lauren Faust! Why did you make it do hard?! It's literally impossible without a half-sibling!

…Wait… Now that I think about it, she only mentioned them not having "Siblings", not that they don't have "Half siblings"… And then… There's the qualifying thing "Have"…or rather … "had"… That works even better. As Lauren didn't say they didn't used to have siblings…

So loosening up the definitions, and combing the result to make it more…logically valid…

Here's the theory

-Theory: They HAD a half brother or sister, that is now dead. cause no point saying "on mother's side" without the "half", and if they weren't dead, they'd technically "have a sibling".

Gah! Lauren left MLP for now, so I'm never going to get a satisfying answer! What do you guys think?

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 11:17PM EST

@Fifths

I KNEW you were going to say something like that. XD

Your personality is 110% Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy is Dash's polar opposite. That being said, no matter how well characterized she is, I can't see you, specifically, ever relating to her in any way. So it doesn't surprise me that you would prefer Larson's over-the-top scaredyshy for the humor. The clip you posted was another example of Fluttershy being a one-dimensional, yet totally hilarious character.

He still ought to write more Rainbow Dash. She hasn't made the top spot on my monthly favorite pony rotation in far too long. She used to be my favorite back when Sonic Rainboom aired, but she's fallen behind ever since due to her increasingly egregious behavior. She moved up during Read it and Weep, but I like Cindy Morrow's iteration if Dash about as much as Larson's. Though Larson makes her out to be more of a badass.

@ZeroBlue4 and the relationships of Celestia/ Luna in relations to other royal ponies

While I'm at it, let me throw another monkey wrench at your ideas: I technically posted this before (I have no idea if this deserves spoilers or not, but rather be safe than sorry)

Apparently, this new King Leo of Aquastria is cousin to Celestia

I think if these relationships are ever meant to be explained, they will actually try to explain it. Otherwise, I would not worry over it. Look at the word of god explanation for how Celestia is related to Prince Blue Blood. It isn't meant to be taken too seriously.

Last edited Dec 04, 2012 at 11:45PM EST

@Shipping
As much as I usually resist at first, I almost always find a pairing that hits a soft spot with me in almost any show I watch. For some reason, I find Big Mac and Fluttershy adorable together
<divclass="spoiler"title="It will give you diabeetus">
Maybe because they're both quiet characters? Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to ship Big Mac with someone.
I also like Dr. Whooves and Derpy

Last edited Dec 05, 2012 at 01:39AM EST

Fluttermac seems to have that air of "Sensitive manly man meets sensitive girly girl" about it which might be why it seems so gosh darn cute. Their quiet personalities match I guess.

Then again I find a lot of shipping pairs to be pretty adorable (if they are in taste anyway) like Octoscratch and course Docderp.

Docderp is particularly interesting because there are so many ways you can drive that concept

I DON'T LIKE SHIPPING I DON'T LIKE SHIPPING I DON'T LIKE SHIPPING

Shipping, eh? Lemme tell y'all 'bout shipping.

I can be pretty easily influenced by anything of decent quality. but mainly fiction. Shipping art, for whatever reason, just doesn't do it for me. It's very similar to sad art: you draw a picture, and it elicits d'awws or feels, but without any sort of context or story, those d'awws or feels are shallow and pass as soon as you move away from said image. The happiness of shipping comes from seeing characters overcome struggles and problems and that sort of thing. I don't read shipping for the everyone-is-happy-at-the-end-and-oh-look-they-just-got-married-in-the-epilogue; it's everything leading up to that that makes shipping interesting.

Also, fiction helps alleviate my shame a bit: when it's just writing and no pictures, it's easy enough to not think of them as ponies from a little girls' cartoon. They're just going through normal human problems and normal human relationships.

So, my favorite ships? Doctor Whooves and Derpy is adorable, as usual, though "Docderp" sounds awful. I'm normally really apprehensive about Derpy ships (I let a lot slide, but Derpy is one of the few ponies I will defend to my grave as heterosexual), but she strikes me really well as a character that would be a sort of clumsy, kinda funny companion but of whom Doctor Whooves would be fiercely protective.

I'm not really a fan of any inter-Mane 6 ships. I dunno, but none of them seem to work too well. TwiDash is the closest you get to anything there, but I guess it's good enough if done well. Most ships are, I suppose, but there is a bit of an annoying problem with rampant homosexuality in Equestria. But if you're going to ship Rainbow Dash, go big or go home: Wonderbolts or nothing, amirite? Imiteberite. Imitenotberite.

FlutterMac? You've only got so many male characters, so do what you gotta do.

xX_MLG_MLPSHIPPER_360n0sc0p3_20percent10seconds_Xx

Last edited Dec 05, 2012 at 02:38AM EST

@Exudes

Shipping art, for whatever reason, just doesn’t do it for me

If all you are looking for is just that 'D'aww' in the first place then the images without context work just fine. Some people aren't that interested in reading up on a complete romance story that builds up from one thing or another. They might just want a quick fix of cuteness.

as usual, though “Docderp” sounds awful

If it makes you feel any better; I just made that up for lack of a better name. You tell me what we should be calling that ship.

@Shipping: Usually shipping isn't at the front of my mind when I talk pony, like I don't really have an OTP. However, I do have a couple that I favor. For fan-character ships, I really like Derpy and the Doctor; there's something about both of their fan-given personalities together that I really like. As for mane 6 ships, it's a bit different. I don't really support them too much, mostly for the same reasons that Exudes gave – there's just too much lesbian poni going around. That being said, I do dabble in the occasional TwiDash fic – And oh do I have a fic for you Exudes. Caught it on EQD last week. It's not really go big or go home, but it's one of the best TwiDashes I've read.

I also just love TwiDash because it allows for stuff like this:

Also read a really fine Vinyl and Tavi ship that I can't remember now. Oh well.

"As for mane 6 ships, it’s a bit different. I don’t really support them too much, mostly for the same reasons that Exudes gave – there’s just too much lesbian poni going around."

Only if you view them as lesbians. I have preferred ships only because I think of them as being friends, and I think some of the ponies would be closer friends than others.

So… technically… I guess I don't actually ship anything. Whatever.

Last edited Dec 05, 2012 at 03:27AM EST

Jill wrote:

@ZeroBlue4 and the relationships of Celestia/ Luna in relations to other royal ponies

While I'm at it, let me throw another monkey wrench at your ideas: I technically posted this before (I have no idea if this deserves spoilers or not, but rather be safe than sorry)

Apparently, this new King Leo of Aquastria is cousin to Celestia

I think if these relationships are ever meant to be explained, they will actually try to explain it. Otherwise, I would not worry over it. Look at the word of god explanation for how Celestia is related to Prince Blue Blood. It isn't meant to be taken too seriously.

Oh yeah… I shouldn't take that explaination of how they're related seriously…

'Cause…

Remember when the Cakes tried to explain how they could have one kid be a Pegasus, and the other a unicorn?

Remember how he qualified all he said?

…Yeah… It's certainly not Lord of the Rings when it comes to tracking this stuff.

Edit: Oh wow, page get! Nice!


Edit: Now as I was trying to bring up earlier before promptly being ignored… What should the 6th, non-mane-6 Alicorn other than the Fausticorn be?

Last edited Dec 05, 2012 at 05:35AM EST
Skeletor-sm

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