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Mane6 just released a trailer for showing off her gameplay. Check it out.

@Verbose

If I did something wrong, I want to be corrected on it (that goes to everyone), whether I'm a mod or not. At the core, we're all users who joined this site out of interest.

And I’m going with Rarity for Favorite Pone.

We can no longer be friends.

/just kidding

Twilitlord wrote:

This also leads into my third point: a Mary Sue isn’t a “all characteristics or nothing” kind of character. I’m afraid that this will lead into the God Mode variant, where suddenly Twilight has essentially Diety-level magic that she can use to solve any problem. Villain? Wait awhile, use alicorn magic. Problems in Equestria? Alicorn magic. Secondary character episode? Deus ex Machina. A main character with Superman-tier powers doesn’t work in this show’s setting; it makes solving anything too easy. What are they supposed to do, block her powers with Sombra magic every episode to make it fair?

I understand your concern there. But there's a difference between the type of problems, not to forget certain things can't be solved with magic. Ponyville's flooding or a Dragon's attacking? No problem, alicorn magic got that fixed for you. But let's not forget Twilight could already do that before.

But let's think about emotional issues here. So Spike's running off again because now that Twilight is Alicorn he feels useless and unworthy. I doubt you can 1,2,3… Poof (Your Pokeman forgot a move) fix that with Alicorn magic. Twilight, when Alicorn, is also not present everywhere and knows everything. What if Rarity and Sweetie Belle are having a fight again? I doubt Twilight pops out of the bushes out of nowhere and fixes that shit in 10 seconds flat (heh) with her magic.

Sure, there is the concern of practical problems which may seem a bit easy to fix now that Twilight leveled up, although compared to what she could before doesn't make a whole difference. But on the level of emotions and relationships, Alicorn can't fix that.

Dac wrote:

Mane6 just released a trailer for showing off her gameplay. Check it out.

I don't know man, you might wanna get more detailed on that. Twilight's gameplay is pretty old material.

In case you didn't read my last post (as per usual), I stated quite clearly I'm one of the "over-reacting" bronies that would hate to see Twilight permanently be an alicorn. Twilight is a central part of the show for me. It sounds stupid, but I've become really attached to her character and she means a whole lot to me. Thus, if this change was permanent it would seriously impact my enjoyment of the show. And yes, that means I might be willing to ditch the show and fandom if that's what it calls for.

I might be willing to go into why Twilight sprouting wings for good might impact her character later, but right now I'm really hurt by everyone's attitude, especially Random's. Does this really make me a "drama-creating", "over-reacting" brony? Would my absence really be a "breath of fresh air into this fandom"? Does my concern and disappointment really amuse you pepole? Am I not allowed to have this opinion?

As I have stated many times before, I don't blame people for having an opinion. Twilicorn leaves a mark on the fandom, and a rather big one nonetheless. You can't blame people for becoming emotional about it, it would be inhuman to do so as you're asking everyone to shut up and be an emotionless robot.

My main concern, and what I state as "overreacting", is people jumping the gun about an event that hasn't even occured yet. Yes, it is imminent, but only talking about it in a negative way isn't the solution. We don't know how Season 4 will go down, let alone how this episode will go down once it airs, speculation is still just speculation. It's better to enjoy the good things when they're still around, before it's too late. I don't blame you for disliking the situation, I don't ask you to ignore it and deal with it, I only ask of you to look at the situation from multiple viewpoints. Don't call the fandom or the show dead yet. An event like this is a massive pill to swallow, but that does not make it the end of it.

And we aren't laughing at people for disliking the situation, we are just trying to make the whole thing easier to deal with by telling others there are scenario's that seem rather pointless to see as legit. If someone blames Hasbro for being a sell out, a calm and understanding reply will not always fix that viewpoint, sometimes you need to be more direct and aggressive. The biggest person you are hurting with telling yourself that something you love is dead or dying, is yourself. People are selfish, and if laughing at the missery of other helps a person deal with a situation, then they will step that low.

A fandom is a large group of people with the same interest, and the presence or absence of a small percentage will not destroy that concept. So making yourself believe that concept is dead due to one event is something I would call "overreacting". But that doesn't mean people want good members to leave that fandom.

But reading that what a person loves is dead or will be soon by the speculation of others, that's something not everyone will accept. To hear once again we're doomed, that's not appreciated, and most prefer to ignore that viewpoint. We are all just looking at our own way to get over it, some just have a harder time at this than others.

As for you as an individual. No, you are not a "drama-creating", "overreacting", "breath of fresh air when gone" brony. Those are terms used against bronies who take most to all opportunities, whether related or not, to remind us that what we love is dead. You don't do that, you only dislike the situation, but you don't call it dead. And as I stated before, opinions are a good thing, just don't let the negative get the better of you.

Random ponei:

Wow, major fuck up on my part. I meant fluttershys gameplay. Wtf brain?

@Dac: yeah, Exudes posted about it on the last page. You know, considering he works on it and everything. But considering it got buried in the… was it a shitstorm? I don't think it was a shitstorm – I think it's worth bumping. So, done.

I didn't know he worked on it. Cool beans.

Anyways, I haven't been following the show for a while. I guess twilight is an alicorn now. I can just imagine the amount of butthurt. Just saying, all the shitstorms (derpy, Daniel tosh, etc,) is what drove me away from the fandom. Well, that and I got bored of the show. I just don't get why people take shit so seriously.

I think you're talking about the Smash Bros. game. Unless he works of FiM and the Smash Ponies game, I'm pretty sure the game he's on is Smash.

I wonder if dac getting bored of the show is associated with him leaving the fandom (or vice-versa.) Maybe they were actually just separate reasons.

See what you've done, Twilight?

I've been trying to avoid jumping too far into this whole thing as emotions seem to be rather raw at the moment, but I feel like clearing up a couple points.

Alicornication is a big thing, no one is denying that (Well, some might be, but they are mostly just overdoing 'playing it cool').
If it does end up being permanent which seems to be the case, it could very likely cause a significant shift in the dynamics of the show.
Then again, the writers have explicitly said that they want to preserve the characters and general feel of the show as much as possible while also exploring new ideas relating to this royalty thing.
Given the wonky synopsis for the episode, I'm really not sure what to expect and so I say people should reserve judgement until we have more information.

As Random said, no one is making fun of people for disliking the idea.
I've said many times that I don't like the idea.
The thing I do dislike is the presumption that this is a 'fandom killing event.'
Individual opinions are perfectly fine, but please do not try to speak for everyone.
Especially when it is very clear that the opinions on this topic are pretty well mixed.
EQD Poll:

A solid majority seem to be essentially fine with it (not that this is exactly a scientific poll or anything, but in rough terms).

I absolutely do think that everyone, on all sides, needs to be sure to temper their comments against their emotions and be sure to be respectful as much as possible.

So, in short:
Thoughtful concerns about the encroachment of marketing ploys into the storyteling: Good.
This stuff:

Bad, and really annoying to see every few minutes (not here, but Derpibooru is flooded with them).

Just another quick note: Fans survive their show taking an unwanted turn.
As an example, there are tons of people who are fans of Doctor Who but really dislike the current incarnation.
The previous Doctor, Tennant, left the show… probably four or five years ago now and people threw a huge fit because he was so well-liked.
They hated the new guy trying to take his place and claimed that the new style for the show ruined it forever.
That is a completely legitimate stance to take as there was a rather large shift at that time, but my point is this: Tennant fans still exist are are actually pretty strong.
The show moved away from them, but they stuck around and continued to love what they loved.

@Fifths
Wow, man.
That's just… just great timing there.

While I definitely agree that plenty of people are blowing this out of proportion, it's still important to recognize that status quo shifts are risky business, especially in episodic content. In other words, it's not Twilight becoming an Alicorn that could potentially kill the fandom, but the impact it has on the immersiveness of the future episodes. People have become comfortable with the idea that Twilight and her friends live as equals in Ponyville, and spend their days living life and learning about friendship. This changes that, though the extent of the change has yet to be seen. By simply making Twilight more than she has been, every single relationship with her in the show changes in some way, and that can isolate a lot of people if the new relationships feel foreign or aren't liked. Even if this move isn't a fandom killer, it's definitely a fandom redefiner, and it's the ambiguity of the results that's causing all the strain.

I personally think the Alicorn move is a stupid one, but only for genre-related reasons. Beyond that, I don't really care.

Yeah, you're right. I get them mixed up a lot. Still, it was posted during the commotion.

Also, is it just me, or did pages shift or something? I'm pretty sure I didn't page get.

I just want to stay away from the fandom for as long as I can until the finale has aired. I'm tired of the shitstorms, tired of the butthurt and tired of some of these overreacting self entitled crybabies (not you guys though, you guys have been quite tame compared to SOME of these people) because you know….in a few weeks afterwards people will probably like how they pulled it off and forget they all decided to act like a bunch of ungrateful babies over A FUCKING CARTOON ABOUT CANDY COLORED PONIES!!! seriously I Love this show with all my n00bish heart but like I said, this is a show about candy colored ponies learning about Friendship. As much as I love this show it will NEVER be big enough to make me cry like some of these fans have been doing. For years these bronies have been going around the internet showing the haters that they're all normal people, hell some go so far out of their way to show just how manly they are even though they watch My Little Pony….Well all those years of progress have been wasted away apparently cause I'm pretty sure normal people and 'manly men' (Umm….well The Expendables fans DID start going crazy when it was rumored Expendables 2 would be PG-13) wouldn't overreact like this to a picture of a cartoon about candy colored ponies learning about friendship.

Besides, I say it's about damn time they try something new with this show. Remember the recent Discord episode? The writer they had credited above Dave Polsky's name? That was a 15 year old brony who gave the writers the idea to have Fluttershy redeem Discord. The writers literally used a brony's idea for an episode, it's pretty damn obvious these writers are scrapping the bottom of the barrel if they have to use what was probably going to end up as some fanfic for episodes. With the whole You know who is You Know what this opens up a bunch (I hope) of new possibilities on where to bring the show before they have an episode of Trixie (Written by Sethistro) or an episode which is basically a 22 minute circle jerk for Rainbow Dash (Written by yours truly….yeah I know but if I find out the Hub is taking suggestions for episodes I'm jumping on the occasion!).

About the whole "OMG Hasbro is selling out!" thing, news flash you just realized Hasbro what Hasbro has been doing since 1923. Hasbro is and always will be a toy company first before anything else, these shows like G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, Transformers they're all just a side project. They cancel these shows at the flick of a switch while they'll keep these toys going till our grandchildren will be playing with these toys while Generation 28 of My Little Pony will be playing on the air. The fact that they even MADE 4 shows based off of My Little Pony is like selling out Metallica style. For so long they weren't even allowed to make TV shows off toys cause it was just a 22 minute commercial for the toys, yeah My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a 22 minute toy commercial (notice how they never show commercials for Pony toys when MLP is on? It's because it already IS a long commercial saying "Hey you like this train? Cool you can buy it now only $19.95!!!"). But the thing is FiM is a well written toy commercial….but it's still a toy commercial either way. So if anyone is going to complain about Hasbro trying to sell toys through their show NOW of all times all I can say is this: Make a fist, now punch yourself repeatedly until your nose starts to bleed or you knock yourself out (depending on how hard you can punch).

Well fuck, All I wanted to say was how I wanted to stay away from this fandom for a few weeks and it turned into this full blown rant. I fear my Jimmies may have been rustled. Not because of the You know who is now a You Know what, but because of everyone's reactions to you know who becoming a You know what. To anyone I may have offended/rustled with this post may I say go fuck yourself I'm very sorry. Here have a Rambo Dash

So Discovery just released basically the entire premise for the season finale. It's not the episode itself, but it gives away the ending.

Can we just not post this part here, anyone? Posters don't bother with the spoiler tags, and finale endings are MUCH more likely to piss people off than finale teasers.

Here's a pretty picture to make sure this doesn't get buried in a pile of long posts and long quotes:

Well might as well stay away from everything. This is the internet, where Spoilers are Snape Kills Dumbledore

@verbose

I was just tired of the fandom. They would get riled up over everything and I found it annoying. Also the show is just boring to me now. I still follow mane6 though, because thats a really well made fan game. Hell, I'd pay full retail price (59.99 usd) for it.

Edit: wait? Discord had a redemption episode? This I gotta see. This show has been kinda weird since I stopped following it. alicorn twilight and discord and trixie redemption episode. They been reading to many fan fics I think.

The ending (whether Twilight stays an alicorn or not) is all anybody really cares about anyway. I may or may not look it up.

Anyway, since the Super Bowl is coming up… pony football pictures!

I don't even Eagles (Redskins FTW), but this is just too good to pass up.

Eh…okay, all of this is starting to jitter me. Think I'm going to take a sabbatical from pony general for a bit.

See you guys to discuss Saturday's episode.

I'm just going to say, I'm confidant I'm going to have a net positive feeling for the finale. Considering a look at an extended synopsis fits fairly well with what I'm hoping.

In fact, I'm practically ready to start worshiping Twilight as a goddess already.

Why?

Okay, that's a little Spoilery and I may get a bit Dramatic, so tags it is:

…Of course, I may be getting my hopes too high. This is a show aimed at light heart-ed affairs after all, not grand sweeping epics that put the stories of ancient myths to shame.

If I may, I'd like to deviate from the alicorn subject to talk about…

…An alicorn. Anypony else kind of wish there was a Celestia episode? I have never seen anyone discuss this, which is a shame considering all of the interesting mysteries that surround her. Plus, it could explore the downsides of her immortality, plus other parts of her psyche. If she gets de-powered in the finale and they don't put any focus on her, it will be a huge missed opportunity.

Yes, there needs to be a Celestia Episode, but let me just get one thing clear.

I'm not part of the Celestia fanclub just yet, so that not why I say it. I'm saying it as a Luna Fan that's bored of Luna's popularity being unchallenged save for maybe Cadence.

I mean, it's kinda boring when all the focus on Luna makes the point of what she stands for seem diluted. Luna is the Alicorn of Night, which means people like me who seek the darkness should be her main fans.

I'm not saying you should be THAT devoted to Luna and what she stands for to consider her your favorite princess, but I'm saying that it feels like a hollow victory for Luna fans if Celestia never gets to step into the limelight long enough to prove she as least COULD be loved that much.

I hope that makes sense. Though knowing me, I doubt that.

Uuuuuuuugh, really? That only worsens my issues with Twilight becoming an Alicorn. Seriously, if that's what happens, talk about genre shift.

Genre "Shift"? Really? From what I've seen, this serries Is like a flipping genre rollercoaster!

And this ride way way too fun to get off of just yet.

…Still, I like to think the shifting will kinda shift closer to what I'm predicting more often. And considering this season has had a lot of serious episodes, it's not exactly going to have come out of nowhere.

I'm pretty sure every episode this season has edged towards serious save for the Two Spike episodes.

Of course, there does seem to be one episode we don't know if it will be serious or not. Episode 12.

I'm sorry, I just can't get over how inpenatrable the premise is. It's like… I have no idea if the summary is a "Canterlot Wedding" style red herring or if the plot is one of a billion possible plots that there aren't enough leads on to find out which is the thread to speculate on.

God, you all must be sick of me saying that.

Serious slice-of-life ≠ fantasy. And, despite what many people believe, serious slice-of-life in a fantasy setting ≠ fantasy. I can completely acknowledge that the tone of this season has been more serious than before (which, at some points, has been detrimental to characters), but I can tell you all right now that if it shifts from slice-of-life to fantasy, I'm pretty confident it won't work. There's a particular reason that, while I love the comics, I won't put them on a higher tier than the show itself: they've missed what makes the show so memorable. Faust took a concept solely made to sell toys and turned it into a relatable story about life and friendship, but the magic of it is that she made it relatable to a wide range of ages. MLP:FiM has been for seasons an opportunity to watch ponies live life and go through the same issues that we as humans deal with, as well, but was set in a fantastical setting to stimulate the imagination.

The reason I don't like this is because it looks like the creators have begun to focus on the fantastical setting, which is secondary to what made it so likable to begin with. It's a potential genre shift for the wrong reasons, and it misses what made the show so popular from the start. I recognize that less people are put off by Alicorn Twilight than don't care, but as I said, it's not Alicorn Twilight that will impact the fandom, it's her effect on the show in the future.

GAH WHY AM I DISCUSSING THIS I'M NOT EVEN A BRONY ANYMORE

Teh Brawler wrote:

GAH WHY AM I DISCUSSING THIS I’M NOT EVEN A BRONY ANYMORE

This is why I really didn't take Popper seriously. Fandoms are hard to quit altogether, but the pony fandom is on a whole different level.

Come back. The ponies are waaaaiittiiiiiinnng~

Also, I posted this on the gallery, but it might be helpful here too.

Click to go to source.

Kudo's to DrPepperFan for linking me this:

Can we talk about something else? Like, that "Fighting is Magic" game. After seeing Fluttershy's fighting style (as well as all the other character's fighting style) I'm actually excited for this game. I'm not even a huge fighting game fan, but I really want to play this.

Edit:
@RandomMan

lol

@teh brawler

Well granted, the slice of life aspect has been a main focus for much of the show, but an aspect of adventure, it's polar opposite, has been present in an appromately equall amount in other episodes.

The show isn't static, it shifts between the two poles, but never fully settles in one. For many episodes, slice of life was the focus, dealing with normal problems with fantastical ways of going about them, for many others, they have been saturated with adventure to the point the ponies have beat off an army, stared down a dragon, rescued a maiden from a troll-like breed of dogs, looked into the face of madness and more, and thats not even this season.

This season, they've been saturated in serious episodes, but the fact is, the slice of life to adventure aspect is still about 50/50. Which I've always perceived to be the normal. As when viewed as a whole, that's how I see it.

All I imagine happening is that The adventure side may be a little indulged for season 4. Not overly so, but a little. And once that's been indulged, it will swing back round to the overindulgence in slice of life again to compensate.

It's kinda like Fullmetal Alchemist, where one episode may be about a guy who butchers people in a literal sense, and another is about a side character going on a date with the buxom sister of a parody manly man who's every appearance is designed to make you laugh.

…Think that, but less pronounced. And preferably without the dark aspects.

My skill level in fighting games ranges between abysmal and Steve Urkel, but I'd still play that shit.

All. Night. Long.

I'm very surprised with how far it's gotten. The labor put into creating it is evident. It's got that "polish" to it.

Whenever I play fighting games, my skill is not taught by mechanics or… Whatever. I don't even know what I'm doing.

I play… By instinct. I don't think, I do. It doesn't matter what I do, just so long as I do it.

In the few times that I've played with others, I win about 50% of the time with other amateurs, and… Never with skilled players.

Still love getting a chance to play them though, it's one of the few times a social gathering for me isn't a complete disaster.

What kills me is remember button combinations. That's why I stray away from titles like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, etc.

Now, Smash Bros…

I was a goddamn champ at that game.

I LIKE USING BOLD.

I hope you guys like playing as Rarity. And jumping and crouching as Rarity. Jumping and crouching a lot.

Also, Pokémon Trainer master race. Can't see me.

I quit about halfway through because the "You can't take it seriously because it's X" argument infuriates me. I can expect a certain consistency from any medium I choose to take in, and the "Twilight Alicorn isn't a big deal because this show was never serious to begin with" is crap for one reason: genre and quality aren't determined by tone. There is no reason why I can't say "I am worried because this could change the show in ways I don't like" because it's not about how lighthearted or serious it is, it's about whether the relationships between the characters, the personalities of those characters, and the interactions of the characters with each other and their surroundings fits what I'm trying to get out of it. I'm not going to accept the argument of "shut up don't take it seriously cuz it's a show about cartoon ponies", not because it's a serious piece, but because taking it seriously involves recognizing the niche it holds in your interest and how that could very easily be ruined.

Jimmies rustled.

@teh brawler
Well granted, the slice of life aspect has been a main focus for much of the show, but an aspect of adventure, it’s polar opposite, has been present in an appromately equall amount in other episodes.
The show isn’t static, it shifts between the two poles, but never fully settles in one. For many episodes, slice of life was the focus, dealing with normal problems with fantastical ways of going about them, for many others, they have been saturated with adventure to the point the ponies have beat off an army, stared down a dragon, rescued a maiden from a troll-like breed of dogs, looked into the face of madness and more, and thats not even this season.
This season, they’ve been saturated in serious episodes, but the fact is, the slice of life to adventure aspect is still about 50/50. Which I’ve always perceived to be the normal. As when viewed as a whole, that’s how I see it.
All I imagine happening is that The adventure side may be a little indulged for season 4. Not overly so, but a little. And once that’s been indulged, it will swing back round to the overindulgence in slice of life again to compensate.
It’s kinda like Fullmetal Alchemist, where one episode may be about a guy who butchers people in a literal sense, and another is about a side character going on a date with the buxom sister of a parody manly man who’s every appearance is designed to make you laugh.
…Think that, but less pronounced. And preferably without the dark aspects.

I think you're misunderstanding what I mean by "fantasy". It's true that adventure contexts have taken place consistently throughout the show, but, save for the season premieres and finales, they've always been portrayed as normal circumstances for the universe, and we're used to further the slice-of-life idea. Diamond Dogs, cutie marks, and magic are all well-known, consistent parts of the MLP mythos, and are seen as normal things. So even when the setting seems mythical and fatastical, it's still only portrayed as a "and they all learned a lesson and went home that evening" type of story.

Fantasy as a genre, on the other hand, is usually a sweeping epic that involves making use of the fantastical settings to overcome evil, often with little or no moral at all. It's overarching, action-packed, and exotic by nature. To me, Twilicorn risks tipping the scales too much, since her role changes. I'm not saying they ARE moving to fantasy, but my fear is that they're moving too close to it, and will ruin the fluidity of the slice-of-life aspect.

Now, in regards to your Full Metal Alchemist analogy, let me point out two things: the fluidity of that show isn't the same as the fluidity of MLP. Something is a fantasy when magic and fantastical situations are used to create unique experiences for the characters that aren't easily recreatable. I haven't actually seen FMA before, but my impressions are that its characters are constantly dealing with things they haven't seen before that present immense challenges. Even if the tone and genre change, that's still something fans can ride on as a reason to continue watching. MLP, on the other hand, has been centered around revealing what is commonplace in the ponies' lives; that's why it's a slice-of-life. To make the jump from the continual reveal of the MLP universe to obstacle-based action, even if it's successful, will certainly isolate some watchers. And I'm not even under the assumption that that jump will be attempted. However, if they're making it more fantastical in a setting sense without changing the genre, that's even worse, because you risk getting stuck in limbo between the two without being able to rectify either.

Let me illustrate this as best I can. If Twilight's transformation is permanent, then it makes the most sense to focus on her as a developing Alicorn for season 4. This takes away all focus on the development of the universe, because the writers have to spend all their time making sure we know what's going on with Twilight. And, even if there are episodes that don't deal with her directly, but rather with other ponies, they still have to deal with Twilight's change as an event, because it has to be that big of a deal in universe. Therefore, the show begins to focus on a fantastical situation in a slice-of-life way, which hurts both. The only other option is to go all the way on the fantasy route, which, as I said, will isolate a lot of viewers. Either way you slice it, this isn't a safe choice.

Lastly, and this is directed at everybody, as was mentioned, the teen/young adult audience is not the intended target. As long as the show is serving it's purpose in regards to the children who watch it, no one is going to waste a lot of time crying.

OKAY FIGHTING GAMES:

I'm also looking forward to Fighting is Magic, mostly just to see how fluid the gameplay is. It looks really good so far, though I'm never going to fight with Pinkie Pie if she makes that "OW" sound effect every time she gets hit.

so my new pony-only blog guys

Oh boy thank you for this new picture!

I don't have an addiction to Rainbow Dash….I'll admit I laughed like crazy when I saw that blog.

@Fighting games.
I'm a big Mortal Kombat fan….but I suck so badly at those games but I want to continue to play the games even though I have to play the game on beginner and can never play against real people (I know the special moves but all the combos…..ugh). So I expect Fighting is Magic to be the same in the future, I'll never get the hang of it even though I'll want to play it all the time. #Firstworldbronyproblems.

I think you’re misunderstanding what I mean by “fantasy”. It’s true that adventure contexts have taken place consistently throughout the show, but, save for the season premieres and finales, they’ve always been portrayed as normal circumstances for the universe, and we’re used to further the slice-of-life idea. Diamond Dogs, cutie marks, and magic are all well-known, consistent parts of the MLP mythos, and are seen as normal things. So even when the setting seems mythical and fatastical, it’s still only portrayed as a “and they all learned a lesson and went home that evening” type of story.
Fantasy as a genre, on the other hand, is usually a sweeping epic that involves making use of the fantastical settings to overcome evil, often with little or no moral at all. It’s overarching, action-packed, and exotic by nature. To me, Twilicorn risks tipping the scales too much, since her role changes. I’m not saying they ARE moving to fantasy, but my fear is that they’re moving too close to it, and will ruin the fluidity of the slice-of-life aspect.

You're right, I don't have a firm grasp on the difference, whenever I attempt to write anything, I suddenly wind up writing everything.

And with this show, considering how you've defined Fantasy, I often find it hard to tell where it begins ends or whatever. Parasprites weren't a "normal" problem for them, and neither were the episodes involving what dragons are all about.

So far, I can tell the overarching aspect has been a little present for a while, but its managed to be subtle enough that I've managed to see that Alicorn Twilight makes a little sense in hindsight, but only really became overt this season.

Let me illustrate this as best I can. If Twilight’s transformation is permanent, then it makes the most sense to focus on her as a developing Alicorn for season 4. This takes away all focus on the development of the universe, because the writers have to spend all their time making sure we know what’s going on with Twilight. And, even if there are episodes that don’t deal with her directly, but rather with other ponies, they still have to deal with Twilight’s change as an event, because it has to be that big of a deal in universe. Therefore, the show begins to focus on a fantastical situation in a slice-of-life way, which hurts both. The only other option is to go all the way on the fantasy route, which, as I said, will isolate a lot of viewers. Either way you slice it, this isn’t a safe choice.

You're right that it's risky, but not completely without a shade of hope. The writers appear to be determined to do this right, and with a little bit of adjustment, it shouldn't be hard for them to find the right balance for the new status quo. Adjusting the formula to account for the new weight Twilicorn will add to the scales.

Sure, I imagine the transition to be rocky, but hey, on a few highways, merging lanes is a bit rough, but assuming you're not asleep at the wheel, you're not going to crash, you'll just get a bit stiff from the ride.

In otherwords, Keep calm, and Flutter on. Change is difficult, but generally it doesn't kill you if you can cope.

… And I'm assuming the writers know how to cope with the stress of the new direction.

Teh Brawler wrote:

I quit about halfway through because the “You can’t take it seriously because it’s X” argument infuriates me.

It's okay, I can understand some fury. It's not something to be read when you're already a bit on edge. The first few paragraphs are somewhat antagonizing, and don't really need to be paid attention to. You might try the last three or four though, as those are more polite and to the point. If it's too bothersome.. well, not everything I post must be read. Everything settles with everyone a little bit differently. I just thought I'd share Pixel Kitties' words.

Doesn't really change my opinion, but those last few do handle the situation better.

dont know if you guys have seen this but I found it interesting
cartoonbrew

Princess Nugget is better alicorn than Twilight.
Discuss…

@Brawler

Actually I somewhat concur with that big huge rant which you take exception toward. Particularly the line that made you stop reading.

"Twilight Sparkle is becoming a princess!"

Read that sentence over in your head again and again and think: this is something causing panic and dismay

A magical pastel colored cartoon horsey is becoming a pretty pink princess…sound the alarms?

To non-bronies, this aught to be the funniest thing they have ever heard! This actually reflects my opinion quite nicely. I'm not taking this seriously. I never took a show about magical cartoon horses seriously and seeing people take it seriously is just hilarious.

@Derpy

Dude, that's the article that started this whole mess…of course we've…

…wait a minute…

…wow…were they right all along?

To non-bronies, this aught to be the funniest thing they have ever heard! This actually reflects my opinion quite nicely. I’m not taking this seriously. I never took a show about magical cartoon horses seriously and seeing people take it seriously is just hilarious.

Hmm… With me, I'm Not sure if I'm taking this too seriously… Or not enough.

Because most of the things I'm serious about are also things I can't take seriously, because it's so over the top.

Gurren Lagann: mechs fight eachother and get stronger until two universe sized mechs are fighting by throwing galaxies at eachother.

Kingdom hearts: boy beats shadows over head with oversized key, man seeks to eat the universe's largest heart while making the world's coolest sounding monologues.

My Little Pony: magical talking Ponies defeat evil by exemplifying key ideals. Spend the other 23 days a month by trying not to destroy their hometown with their personal issues.

… Hmm…

All three of these descriptions are giving me outrageous "Me Gusta" face right now.

Now to go home and finish another chapter of a fan fic so hard to take seriously it puts the champions of Anime to shame.

Shitstorms aside, is there any new episode this saturday?

Yes there is, I THINK it's about those games in the Crystal Empire or something that was referenced in the last episode. Then after that we're dealing with a week of no new pone and more shitstorm.

@The Extended plot Wow, that's basically spot on with what I thought it would go down like.

@Bruno

Actually, next episode is on February 9 with the "Day of Lavos" scheduled for February 16.

…
 
 
 
 
The next episode airs Feb. 9.

May I ask a related question? Why didn't either of you Google this like I did? Like, I don't get it. It took me about two minutes. Most of that time was typing this up with a link.

Seriously. I really want an answer, because I'm a little dumbfounded at the moment.

Won't Fighting Is Magic have an "easy"-to-use way to play online with others? And if so, I challenge all of you.

No, seriously, we should set up a KYM tourney during the off-season.

@Verbose

That (other than being sickeningly cute) probably covers it.
I certainly know that feel.

@Serious Business
Yep, there will be an online option that is supposed to be relatively easy.
More details are on The Mane6 FAQ page.
Just go down to the "VS." section.
I have no idea how the program that they will be using works, but if it supports some kind of tournament thing, I'd be up for that.
Haven't played a fighting game since… Soul Calibur 4 (?) so I'm sure I'll be an easy target, but I really want to give this game a try.

For those of you who were annoyed with the removal of Frienship is Witchcraft from Youtube, they have set up their own site for hosting: SHERCLOP.COM
Head over there to avoid Youtube's stupid auto-detect system and get you some Sweetie Bot.

Looks like we got a new screenshot from the finale, and it isn't Twilight!

Since we know the synopsis is about 'switching destinies,' I think it's pretty clear who Dash will be replacing.
Drama aside, I honestly can't wait for this episode!
Looks like it's gonna be fun on a bun!

Twilicorn aside, I am really excited about the plotline for the finale.

Me too! Whether this whole "Twilicorn" thing is good or not is contested at best, I think that a big development like that could only really be part of an equally big episode!

…Of course, part of me still hopes that her "alicornhood" is only temporary, and that episode 13 will be a massive cliffhanger to be concluded once season 4 begins. Although, that would be pure evil.

I'm excited about the finale plotline too, and it's even been spoiled for me already. It's not a faith or anything in M.A. Larson that causes it, it's the fact that it will be the first finale that I don't see weeks or months after its aired. It's kind of nice to talk about it with knowledge that its not all past events with everyone else.

Still, the shortness of this season is felt even to me. I hope we don't have to wait until 2014 for new episodes or anything. We'd have to make our own event called "The Year Without Poni".

After that, anyone have any predictions as to what games ponies will play in the next episode? I'm hoping to see a little more jousting, personally, but I'm not seeing how ponies are going to go pole vaulting.