(Neigh! Winny!) Unpopular Pony Opinion Thread!
πʊßƛįϰ
@Sapphie
I find that the later season hate comes from three categories:
I find that the later season hate comes from three categories:
- REEEEEEE WHY ARE THEY LETTING PONIES NOT OF THE M6 BE PROTAGONISTS
- The show lost its ability to focus, so the new protagonists do not get enough screentime to become as well-characterized as the M6
- (this is for seasons 7–9 and not 3–6) They brought on new writers who only watched the first two seasons before writing their episodes, leading to inexplicable character regressions
Dex Stewart 
Ecto-Phase,Activate!
I preferred the laid back fantasy of the earlier seasons,but I like the later Ones too. Not big on the early good Starlight episodes. Clunky.
Anonymous #0C8D
I find Sunset Shimmer horribly overrated and kind of weak in her characterization. I wouldn’t be bothered by that if there wasn’t a large portion of this fandom dedicated to worshiping her and the ground she walks on.
Sapphie 
Senior Moderator
Unavailable
@Anonymous #0C8D
I think she’s overrated as well. Then again I have only seen 2 EqG movies, so I don’t think my opinion on the matter is very valid
I think she’s overrated as well. Then again I have only seen 2 EqG movies, so I don’t think my opinion on the matter is very valid
RavenandWritingDesk
@Sapphie
Sunset is a shit villain with weak motivation, she’s a M6 teir protagnaist surrounded by less developed and less deep versions of the main 6. She’s as good as cannon Twilight as a protaganist but because the supporting cast is weaker she just seems better than she is.
Sunset is a shit villain with weak motivation, she’s a M6 teir protagnaist surrounded by less developed and less deep versions of the main 6. She’s as good as cannon Twilight as a protaganist but because the supporting cast is weaker she just seems better than she is.
Sapphie
Senior Moderator
Unavailable
@RavenandWritingDesk
oh yeah, as a villain she was a trashbasket. Part of why I never liked EqG. Both first movies were lame
oh yeah, as a villain she was a trashbasket. Part of why I never liked EqG. Both first movies were lame
RavenandWritingDesk
@Acres
I think I’ve stated this elsewhere but the strenths of the first two seasons is that its simple child friendly storytelling, however it hints and implies at a larger, deeper more adult world that exists. Season three was a rushed mess but it would of been OK apart from the fact it ends with Twilight ascending to god hood.
This is the tipping point where the show has to grow, expand and age with its protaganist. After this point the show needed to take a wider and more adult view of the world to accomidate the growth of the protagnist. Which is not to say it suddenly becomes LoTR, She-ra does this perfectly with the story adding depth, widening its scope and dealing with incresingly mature subjects as your audience of little kids grows up into being pre-teens.
However this natural growth did not happen, come season 4 instead of the story matureing to acomidate this new scope, instead everything is brought down instead of Twilight rising up. Celestia and Luna are reduced to be more childish, mundane and small minded so that Twilight can hold this higer station but not change in any meaningful way. The world is shrunk down so Twilights expanded infulance actually doesn’t mean anything, Griffonstone goes from another kingdom to the poor side of town.
So we have S4 to Glimmerdom, which is really just re-hashing the first three seasons but now we’ve seen behind the curtain to the fact their’s nothing there, so when they nudge and wink at the audience no one buys it any more. People like Larson realise this problem so focus on interpersonal stories instead and these episode are the best because its the most mature and deep material that can be handled inside the confines of the story, but this is doing the best you can under a unnecessary restriction.
Then we have Glimmer, at which point its a soft reset, the writing staff didn’t give a shit about what had been done before and only paraded out the original cast because they were contractually required and pressured by the audience to do so, but they clearly wanted to write a completely different show. It’s not bad but it should of just been its own thing and they should of just put the original series to bed.
Pony Life is Teen Titans Go, a deliberate attempt to drive off an unwanted demographic.
I think I’ve stated this elsewhere but the strenths of the first two seasons is that its simple child friendly storytelling, however it hints and implies at a larger, deeper more adult world that exists. Season three was a rushed mess but it would of been OK apart from the fact it ends with Twilight ascending to god hood.
This is the tipping point where the show has to grow, expand and age with its protaganist. After this point the show needed to take a wider and more adult view of the world to accomidate the growth of the protagnist. Which is not to say it suddenly becomes LoTR, She-ra does this perfectly with the story adding depth, widening its scope and dealing with incresingly mature subjects as your audience of little kids grows up into being pre-teens.
However this natural growth did not happen, come season 4 instead of the story matureing to acomidate this new scope, instead everything is brought down instead of Twilight rising up. Celestia and Luna are reduced to be more childish, mundane and small minded so that Twilight can hold this higer station but not change in any meaningful way. The world is shrunk down so Twilights expanded infulance actually doesn’t mean anything, Griffonstone goes from another kingdom to the poor side of town.
So we have S4 to Glimmerdom, which is really just re-hashing the first three seasons but now we’ve seen behind the curtain to the fact their’s nothing there, so when they nudge and wink at the audience no one buys it any more. People like Larson realise this problem so focus on interpersonal stories instead and these episode are the best because its the most mature and deep material that can be handled inside the confines of the story, but this is doing the best you can under a unnecessary restriction.
Then we have Glimmer, at which point its a soft reset, the writing staff didn’t give a shit about what had been done before and only paraded out the original cast because they were contractually required and pressured by the audience to do so, but they clearly wanted to write a completely different show. It’s not bad but it should of just been its own thing and they should of just put the original series to bed.
Pony Life is Teen Titans Go, a deliberate attempt to drive off an unwanted demographic.
Havoc
Half Dragon, Half Meme
@Anonymous #0C8D
Shimmerfag here. I agree with you that her characterization is weak. There was going to be comment here about how the writers wanted her to be the “perfect” female role model with no flaws and her character’s actual potential, but am tired.
Shimmerfag here. I agree with you that her characterization is weak. There was going to be comment here about how the writers wanted her to be the “perfect” female role model with no flaws and her character’s actual potential, but am tired.
Havoc
Half Dragon, Half Meme
Why can no one understand the difference between a fusion and an offspring?
Anonymous #0C8D
@Havoc
Too much relying on bases? That’d be my guess.
It’s why most next gens always have the Mane Six’s kids, who are all female, all around the same age and clearly just their mothers with a different palette and altered mane, because they’re literally just being pasted onto scenes of the Mane Six.
Too much relying on bases? That’d be my guess.
It’s why most next gens always have the Mane Six’s kids, who are all female, all around the same age and clearly just their mothers with a different palette and altered mane, because they’re literally just being pasted onto scenes of the Mane Six.
UrbanMysticDee
Bae > Bay
@RavenandWritingDesk
@Havoc
No flaws? Most of what Sunny does is try to work on her flaws to become a better person.
She’s the antithesis of the stupid, repugnant, worst episode ever with the worst message anyone could give children “Our flaws make us perfect” bullshit. FUCK NO! You’re supposed to strive on becoming a better person, not celebrate how much of a damaged shit stain on society you are. Sunset was probably the only character who actually went through real development. She learned a lesson and progressed from there, becoming a better person. She wasn’t happy with her shortcomings, she didn’t celebrate them, she hated them and saw them, correctly, as impediments to true self-actualization.
On top of that she does her best to actually be kind in spite of society and human nature trying to turn us all into narcissistic, psychopathic assholes.
That’s why Sunset Shimmer is the best character.
@Havoc
No flaws? Most of what Sunny does is try to work on her flaws to become a better person.
She’s the antithesis of the stupid, repugnant, worst episode ever with the worst message anyone could give children “Our flaws make us perfect” bullshit. FUCK NO! You’re supposed to strive on becoming a better person, not celebrate how much of a damaged shit stain on society you are. Sunset was probably the only character who actually went through real development. She learned a lesson and progressed from there, becoming a better person. She wasn’t happy with her shortcomings, she didn’t celebrate them, she hated them and saw them, correctly, as impediments to true self-actualization.
On top of that she does her best to actually be kind in spite of society and human nature trying to turn us all into narcissistic, psychopathic assholes.
That’s why Sunset Shimmer is the best character.
Anonymous #0C8D
@UrbanMysticDee
Sorry, but all I remember about Sunset’s character is her getting zapped with magic friendship lasers, becoming good, complaining that people where holding her accountable for her past deeds, helping the Humane Six save everyone from the Sirens and then everyone loved her too… and that’s about it. She continued to do stuff and all, but she never gave me any sense of character. She was just there.
Sorry, but all I remember about Sunset’s character is her getting zapped with magic friendship lasers, becoming good, complaining that people where holding her accountable for her past deeds, helping the Humane Six save everyone from the Sirens and then everyone loved her too… and that’s about it. She continued to do stuff and all, but she never gave me any sense of character. She was just there.
RavenandWritingDesk
@Anonymous #0C8D
“complaining that people where holding her accountable for her past deeds”
You clearly weren’t paying attention, that is litterally the opposite of her RR character arc. But whatever, no one’s makeing you like it.
“complaining that people where holding her accountable for her past deeds”
You clearly weren’t paying attention, that is litterally the opposite of her RR character arc. But whatever, no one’s makeing you like it.
Anonymous #0C8D
@RavenandWritingDesk
I’m exaggerating for effect, but that’s not wholly inaccurate to how the movie felt it was trying to make her dilemma.
I’m exaggerating for effect, but that’s not wholly inaccurate to how the movie felt it was trying to make her dilemma.
πʊßƛįϰ
@Sapphie
Fluttershy having character development amnesia would be less grating if the writers acknowledged that she has learned the lesson before. It’s the balance between realism and good storytelling: real people don’t learn their moral lesson of the day and then are magically better for the rest of their life. The real failing of the repetitive Fluttershy episodes is that they all want to start her development from zero (except for that one where she points out that being cured of shyness after one very special episode is not how character development happens).
@RavenandWritingDesk
RE: soft reset
They could have been way more successful if they stuck with the reset. However, they kept returning to the M6 having slice-of-life adventures and were simultaneously unsuccessful at resetting and at preserving the comfy feeling of the first two seasons.
RE: Pony Life is designed to drive off the undesirables
Their plan worked. It’s on a list of shows I have zero interest in watching because of the art style. Other shows on the list include Steven Universe and EqG (the ponies being vaguely horse-shaped is why I got into FiM in the first place and the appeal evaporates once they’re humans in a high school AU).
@Anonymous #0C8D
Exactly why I have zero interest in reading FiM’s next-generation fics. Why does your ensemble cast of protagonists need to contain six all-female members? If you do stick with six leading ladies, why should I read your story instead of watching FiM itself?
Fluttershy having character development amnesia would be less grating if the writers acknowledged that she has learned the lesson before. It’s the balance between realism and good storytelling: real people don’t learn their moral lesson of the day and then are magically better for the rest of their life. The real failing of the repetitive Fluttershy episodes is that they all want to start her development from zero (except for that one where she points out that being cured of shyness after one very special episode is not how character development happens).
@RavenandWritingDesk
RE: soft reset
They could have been way more successful if they stuck with the reset. However, they kept returning to the M6 having slice-of-life adventures and were simultaneously unsuccessful at resetting and at preserving the comfy feeling of the first two seasons.
RE: Pony Life is designed to drive off the undesirables
Their plan worked. It’s on a list of shows I have zero interest in watching because of the art style. Other shows on the list include Steven Universe and EqG (the ponies being vaguely horse-shaped is why I got into FiM in the first place and the appeal evaporates once they’re humans in a high school AU).
@Anonymous #0C8D
Exactly why I have zero interest in reading FiM’s next-generation fics. Why does your ensemble cast of protagonists need to contain six all-female members? If you do stick with six leading ladies, why should I read your story instead of watching FiM itself?
Sapphie
Absolutely agreed. I’ve been fed the argument that “well, real people don’t actually change in a single day” so many times. Yeah, but we also don’t get to see every single day of Fluttershy’s life. I’m sure there would have been many situations where she could have slowly become less and less shy. Situations where she could have applied and integrated those lessons she’s learned, but that we, the audience, would have missed.
Then again, I’m incredibly shy myself, and I have no intent of changing that.
Senior Moderator
Unavailable
@Sapphie
Fluttershy having character development amnesia would be less grating if the writers acknowledged that she has learned the lesson before. It’s the balance between realism and good storytelling: real people don’t learn their moral lesson of the day and then are magically better for the rest of their life. The real failing of the repetitive Fluttershy episodes is that they all want to start her development from zero (except for that one where she points out that being cured of shyness after one very special episode is not how character development happens).
Absolutely agreed. I’ve been fed the argument that “well, real people don’t actually change in a single day” so many times. Yeah, but we also don’t get to see every single day of Fluttershy’s life. I’m sure there would have been many situations where she could have slowly become less and less shy. Situations where she could have applied and integrated those lessons she’s learned, but that we, the audience, would have missed.
Then again, I’m incredibly shy myself, and I have no intent of changing that.
πʊßƛįϰ
@Sapphie
I thought of two reasons why it’s Fluttershy that gets all the heat for repetitive episodes:
I thought of two reasons why it’s Fluttershy that gets all the heat for repetitive episodes:
- As the seasons went on, the gap in character development between her and the other ponies widened. If they were all like Fluttershy, FiM would be a newspaper comic in TV form or The Simpsons with equine actors.
- It’s a projection and Fluttershy’s flaws are the ones most similar to the flaws of the fans more so than any other pony. They notice her lack of development because they want to see her improve already while they find the problems the other ponies face to be less viscerally relatable.
Fleur de Lis
déanaim seitreach
Just because King Sombra doesn’t steal the show in his debut episode, doesn’t make him a bad villain.