Community soapbox time, where opinions from around the fandom are dropped down below for you all to discuss and debate!
Expect these posts normally when not late every Tuesday at 2:00 PM PST. To submit your own, see this post.
Note: These soapboxes do not at all reflect the ideas of EQD. They are an open forum for anyone to post whatever crazy theory they want.
Headlines for the week:
- Princess Sunset is a GREAT IDEA
- The Fandom and OC's
- Who Designs Cutie Marks?
- Is Your Happiness Solely Dependent on Others?
- I'm going to be a G5 fan
- MLP Movie sequel and the visuals that it deserves
And get your soapboxes below!
Princess Sunset is a GREAT IDEA
Credit: QuestionSeeker
“Oh boy, the Starlight hater is writing something praising Sunset? I’m in shock and awe 9_9. *Clicks to new page*.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I still stand by that and many support that notion, but that’s besides the point. Hear me out:
Sunset Shimmer has consistently demonstrated that she has the chops to be a leader. She’s kind, empathetic, observant, and protective of her loved ones to a fault (yelling at Twilight till she cried, losing her entire memory of the human world to protect her the Humane 6’s friendship, etc), and the new intro for EqG seems to be supporting that fact. I’m suggesting that more than any other character, even more so than Twilight, her becoming a Princess would be extremely relevant.
Like Twilight, she was a student of Princess Celestia’s, but ultimately got power-hungry and defected once she wasn’t given what she wanted when she wanted it. Effectively she is a character that wanted to become a Princess, got beaten down by a real princess, and then learned everything that that same Princess knew and is now the leader of her group of friends. You seeing where I’m going with this? Sunset has grown to be the successor to Celestia that she was always intended to be, and having her ultimate fate be that she steps up to be a Princess alongside Twilight would be a great bookend to the character. Some say she has no future in Equestria, but high school can’t last forever, and I’m sure she’d be homesick given all the magic running around. Plus with those two as Princesses of Canterlot, that would leave Princess of Friendship open. Maybe for Pinkie Pie? A more seasoned Starlight Glimmer? …Pinkie Pie?
…Or, y’know, just give her a cameo in something already. She basically represents EqG as a whole, people like her, you have her model, throw us a bone already :/
The Fandom and OC's
By Chrome Thunder
One thing I've seen frequently over the years is how people get ripped on for their OC's. Having an alicorn or brightly colored one is verboten according to some fans.
To those people, let me ask you this: How are these OC's hurting the show? How are they hurting the fandom? How are they hurting you?
The answer is they AREN'T. These fans are enjoying the show and fandom the way they want to. If you say they do hurt the fandom then I can say clop hurts the fandom.
See how that works?. I don't like clop, but the difference is I don't harass, make blogs, or convention panels about it. It's not hurting me or the show. Those people are also enjoying the fandom the way they want to. I just ignore it. Which you OC purists (that treat "The word of Faust" as bible thumpers treat "The word of God") seem to have a hard time doing with these OC's.
Fans can make their OC's however they want to. You don't have to like them, and can offer critique, suggestions, guides, etc. But you don't tell them they're forbidden from making theirs like this or that.
Immortal Princesses
By: Shea
I don't understand why everybody seems to assume Celestia and Luna are immortal. It's never been confirmed in the show, yet people act like it has. All we know for certain is that Celestia has lived much longer than other Ponies. We can't be sure if Luna's biologically as old because she was magically imprisoned in the Moon, which could be an Avatar in the iceberg-type thing. If Twilight is still going to be Celestia's successor, then Celestia being immortal makes even less sense. Perhaps we should consider the possibility Celly cast a spell to prolong her life to ensure she'd be around to see her sister's return, and then stopped casting the spell. This could also explain why she seemingly battles evil less often than in the time before the show started: because she's starting to age again.
Who Designs Cutie Marks?
By: nopony
Cutie marks are a mystery. While other characteristics of ponies (including Unicorn magic) can be explained as effects of evolution, in case of cutie marks there seems to be some sort of "intelligent design" involved. Who can be the designer? I heard a theory that there is a powerful magical being called Harmony, who is connected to the Tree of Harmony and its creations. The following arguments suggest that it's indeed the one who designs cutie marks and magically places them on ponies' flanks:
1. It seems to be capable of designing things, as it created the Chest, the Castle, and the Map.
2. The Map is strongly connected with cutie marks - it uses them as symbols that indicate places where it sends ponies on friendship missions, also it can affect the actual cutie marks by making them glow.
An argument against it is that the Tree of Harmony is supposed to be created by the Pillars of Equestria, and cutie marks existed before that. But why they chose this particular place to plant the seed? I think it's because something magical already existed there, and that something is Harmony.
Is Your Happiness Solely Dependent on Others?
By: Sirius
“I tried friendship, and it’s just not for me.”
I have to wonder how many people heard that line from Moondancer and thought to themselves, “I know how she feels.” Having watched MLP since season one, I’ve never connected with a character as much as I did with her at that moment. I am not convinced Moondancer is better off at the end of Amending Fences.
Twilight’s whole motivation comes across as half-assed and self-centered, “you’ve got to let me make this up to you.” MLP obviously is about how great friends are, while others without friends are often literal villains. In Moondancer’s case, the show is a little more underhanded in villainizing her lifestyle, rather than her. It sends the message that one cannot be happy if one chooses isolation.
In Moondancer’s case, isolation ends when Twilight opens old wounds and gets Moondancer to publicly breakdown into tears. The idea that she’s saved by ponies who’d forgotten her, ponies that seem to only be following Twilight’s selfish lead, rubs me the wrong way. Moondancer portrayed as unkempt and living in squalor because she’s friendless rubs me the wrong way.
Friendship is less magic and more conformity for poor Moondancer.
I'm going to be a G5 fan
By: CategoricalGrant
Aside from MLP, the only media franchise that has ever really impacted me on a personal level has been Star Wars. With Disney now at the helm, all I see is mistake after mistake. I certainly CARE that this is happening, but it doesn't impact my behavior in the slightest. I am in the theater on opening night for every new Star Wars film, even though I might hate what is to come.
Does this make me some kind of corporate shill? Perhaps. But despite what I perceive as unwise (or occasionally horrific) changes, my respect for the franchise and the impact it has had on me leaves me no choice- I'm in the Star Wars boat for life.
It's the same with Pony. While we make think some of the preliminary G5 ideas are ill-advised, or that G4 shouldn't end, I will be front and center for the G5 premiere when the time comes, because I value Pony and what it has done for my life. You should be too. It's almost like being there for an old friend who has lost their way.
And, besides... there's an off chance that G5 will be spectacular.
MLP Movie sequel and the visuals that it deserves
By: Nightmare Muffin
If there’s one thing that the 2017 MLP movie brought to the table, it was its stunning visuals and detailed backgrounds. True, the CGI felt out of place at times, but all in all, there’s no denying that the visuals of the film were pretty impressive. Now, with a sequel movie being in its discussion phase, the option is on the table to “go big or go home”, and for the second to completely blow the first movie out of the water, unlike the record of many Disney sequels. One way this could be done is by looking abroad- hiring and collabing with an Art Director who has an impressive track record of making astounding visuals in their works. Two words: Makoto Shinkai. Many award-winning works, "5 Centimeters Per Second", "The Garden of Words", and "Your Name" all carry breathtaking art, lighting, and scenery that My Little Pony can incorporate under Makoto's direction, and truly stun future moviegoers with its visual quality. There’s no denying that MLP has made leaps and bounds from its first season, regarding visuals, but there’s a well of untapped potential that I believe this person could bring to make cinematic MLP a masterpiece.
