7144 replies to this topic

[Bfahome]

Spoiler

Welp, looks like Alicorn Twilight is happening.

 

Nuts.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

Spoiler

Welp, looks like Alicorn Twilight is happening.

 

Nuts.

 

Spoiler

I am completely impartial to this situation. Let it happen and I'll judge it from there. For now I'm just curious to see what they do with it, if anything. 

 

It's actually a lot of fun to watch the fanbase raise their arms in uproar.

[Valenti]

I'm cool with it.

[Takaru 1111]

I don't like it, but I'll wait and see if they mess it up or not..

 

Only time will tell.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Spoiler

It's hilarious how many people are treating "it's just to sell toys" as a bad thing, as if selling merchandise and quality storytelling are mutually exclusive. If you don't like the show being merchandise-driven, why did you watch it in the first place?

With that said, I think the idea that it's JUST to sell toys is a real stretch considering that it not only fits perfectly with the narrative that's been established in the series, this most recent season in particular, but it could very easily have been planned far in advance, just as the "Mata Nui is a robot" thing was known from the start.

The Alicorn Twilight toys are mostly pretty mediocre, IMO, though the one with Rarity and Spike in a car has a new mold for Spike with an adorable little bow tie. So far we haven't seen Twilight standing alongside any other characters in her new form, so it's hard to tell whether the castle's Twilight (same scale as regular brushables, but with wings and a horn) or the other more common brushable Twilight (same scale as the Luna and Cadance brushables) is more accurate. The phrases of the talking Twilight fail to excite me, but then again it's not necessarily any WORSE than the talking Celestia and Cadance toys' phrases.

Overall, let's just get this out of the way. Twilight looks gorgeous as a princess, and I can't imagine this changing the character dynamic among the Mane Six too much. Most of all because frankly, there are no other characters for academically/intellectually-minded people to relate to who could easily take her place. The diversity of the Mane Six has always been a big part of the show's appeal, and the writers wouldn't interfere with that, especially since keeping Twilight a central character would also make selling Twilight Sparkle toys that much easier.

Does this trivialize the nature of being a princess/alicorn? Hardly. Besides the immortality/incredibly long lifespan and superior magical ability to regular unicorns, the godlike importance of alicorns is largely derived from the fans. And it has never been suggested that all alicorns/princesses are equal in power or importance. Being younger than any of the princesses we know, I don't think we can expect Twilight to be overpowered-- at least, no more than she's always been as the most talented unicorn in Ponyville.

Wish this hadn't been officially announced until after the episode aired, since that would mean less of an uproar and more of people watching the episode to form a reasoned opinion (which may or may not involve an uproar, depending on the quality of the episode). But I understand that with the Nuremberg Toy Fair happening, that would have been more or less impossible.

A lot of people are of course going to say the show jumped the shark. A lot of people already said that. A lot of people will continue to say that. But I think the idea of shows "jumping the shark" is overplayed. A high-quality show doesn't just become a terrible show overnight; it's a gradual shift, and when you stop enjoying the changes taking place in a show is a completely personal matter, not a concrete threshold. And I have had no trouble enjoying the series up until now, regardless of the changes it's undergone over time.

[Coob]

Spoiler

I have too much faith in the show's staff to be afraid of this. It might turn out really awesome. I mean seriously, they made a wedding epic!

Edited by Coob, Jan 29 2013 - 03:36 PM.

[Valenti]

Spoiler

I can't wait for Rainbow Dash to give Twilight flying lessons!

[Keizah the Kaleidoscope]

Spoiler

I'm kind of neutral on the whole Alicorn Twilight thing.  While the possibility of episodes centered around Twilight learning how to take on Celestia and Luna's responsibilities fills me with glee, I feel like it might take away some of the novelty of Twilight's character.

 

Also, conflicts in future episodes will inevitably raise the question: Why didn't you get your friendly neighborhood pony-god to solve the problem?  The only other option would be having Twilight move out of Ponyville, which would be simply awful.

Edited by Keizah the Kaleidoscope, Jan 29 2013 - 06:23 PM.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Spoiler

I'm kind of neutral on the whole Alicorn Twilight thing.  While the possibility of episodes centered around Twilight learning how to take on Celestia and Luna's responsibilities fills me with glee, I feel like it might take away some of the novelty of Twilight's character.
 
Also, conflicts in future episodes will inevitably raise the question: Why didn't you get your friendly neighborhood pony-god to solve the problem?  The only other option would be having Twilight move out of Ponyville, which would be simply awful.

Spoiler

Who's to say she'll have godlike powers just by virtue of being an alicorn? We've never seen any indication that Princess Cadance had any remarkable level of power when she was Twilight's foalsitter, and anyway it's not as though Twi's not already remarkable. She's established to be the most powerful unicorn in Ponyville, if not in all of Equestria. After her first Winter Wrap up she got THREE VESTS! THREE!

I think that if the writers are being careful about making sure this sends a message that power is something you earn, not something that's simply given to you, then there's no reason to assume they'd say that Twilight has earned nigh-unlimited power already. That would basically mean putting a big stop sign in front of Twilight's character development, which would make it hard to keep her around as a main character. And it would send the unfortunate message that once you've done a certain amount of studying, you're never going to face another real challenge for the rest of your life.

In other words, I think being Twilight will be granted alicorn status as a symbol of her power. The power isn't something Celestia gives her, but something she earned through her own diligent study. Wings and even perhaps a slight magical boost are just a perk, but it's not as though we haven't seen her expand her talents before.

[Applejack]

This news excites me!

Seriously, was I the only one who wanted this to happen?

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

I've wanted Twilacorn to happen,

[The Phoenix]

I was seriously looking forward to Twilacorn. I absolutely love this Idea, and I think that is is what Celestia and Luna were talking about at the beginning of S3, E1.

 

Has anyone besides me seen the .Mov series by Hotdiggedydemon?

[Applejack]

We don't talk about that series.

Anyone else think the change is gonna be permanent?

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

I dunno,

Spoiler

The season finale's summary so far says that the cutie marks get messed up, but I did see a pic of twilight as an Alicorn in royal atire, and it looked rather legit to me.

Edited by Mega Man ZETA, Jan 29 2013 - 10:52 PM.

[Applejack]

Spoiler

Twilight may change her name. Anyone remember that Alicorn coronation plushie from awhile ago? It looked like Twi Alicorn, but had a different name.

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

Spoiler

I don't think I saw that, or I didn't fully look into it, but really I doubt it

Anyway for those who are ticked off about this, the writers wouldn't be doing this unless they had their reasons and a plan for this episode, I mean we got Discord back and that was awesome, I'm sure the writers will have some catch to this so keep calm and flutter on.

[Lyichir]

Glad to see the response here on BZP has so far been more reasoned than many of the responses elsewhere on the 'net.

 

Spoiler

I'm not really worried about how the show deals with this. Story decisions like this are rarely good or bad in and of themselves, but rather dependent on how they're handled. And while it's always possible that the showrunners will screw this up, they've given me no reason to doubt them in the past, so I'm not expecting them to disappoint me now.

 

In terms of the toys, I remember fans questioning whether the motivation for introducing Cadance was to have a pink alicorn to sell alongside a properly white Celestia. Part of me hopes that, now that Twilight will be released as a purple alicorn, they'll similarly be able to finally give us a show-accurate blue Luna.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

We don't talk about that series.

Anyone else think the change is gonna be permanent?

Definitely. As a lot of people say, a big benefit from this will come in the form of toy sales, and if it were just temporary it would stop being a really effective selling point very promptly (unless said character could magically shift between forms, henshin hero style).

I am so peeved that the writers would write storylines like this just to sell toys, though. I mean, seriously-- having Twilight "magically" give Rarity butterfly wings? Next thing you know they're going to be putting a train in the show, or having the ponies go to Canterlot Castle so they can make it into some type of frilly playset, or having two characters get married for a wedding playset, or making crystal ponies canon. Clearly the show has jumped the shark, as the creators have sacrificed their artistic integrity by bowing to Hasbro's money-grubbing whims. And here I was thinking they could at least make it through Season One without the series being RUINED FOREVER. {/sarcasm}

Edited by Aanchir: Rachira of Time, Jan 30 2013 - 10:50 AM.

[Coob]

I am actually rather impressed with the show's staff's ability to turn Hasbro's orders about product placement into really awesome stuff.

Edited by Coob, Jan 30 2013 - 11:18 AM.

[Applejack]

Wait... MLP IS A TOYLINE???


I actually didn't even think as some of the stuff as ways to sell more toys. Guess that means they have good writers.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Wait... MLP IS A TOYLINE???

I actually didn't even think as some of the stuff as ways to sell more toys. Guess that means they have good writers.

It's one of those things that's easy to lose sight of, given that the show stands so much better on its own than the toys tend to. It's very different than, say, Ninjago, Hero Factory, or BIONICLE, where the toys are arguably as good as or better than the tie-in media.

In both cases, the media exists to sell the toys, but one key difference is that in the case of MLP:FiM, the show doesn't follow the toyline nearly as strictly. Rather, the show sells the CONCEPT, and the concept causes even toys of minor characters or background characters to sell better to kids who become interested in collecting My Little Pony in general, not just a few key characters.

Really, there are advantages and disadvantages to merchandise-driven shows. Incorporating new toy concepts into the show can be a challenge, but the writers of MLP:FiM are very good at turning challenges into storytelling opportunities. Meanwhile, the toy side of MLP: FiM owes so much of its success to the success of the show that they don't put ridiculous constraints on the writers of the show. Rather, they request that the writers incorporate a number of toy concepts into the show, and the writers work those in where they fit best.

The only places I can imagine Hasbro having very definite expectations of the writers are things that they plan to structure an entire toyline around: for instance, the the Friendship Express, the Pony Royal Wedding line, the Crystal Empire line, and now the Princess Coronation line. Even those, though, are just a framework for the writers to work with-- the wedding episode could have been written a lot of different ways, for instance, but the writers happened to decide on a Disney-esque story of good versus evil.

[Valenti]

I'm sure they'll make it work.

 

Edit: Apparently, USAopoly, makers of the famed Klingon Monopoly, are going to release My Little Pony Monopoly in July.

 

I am freaking excited.

Edited by Valenti, Jan 31 2013 - 08:16 PM.

[Applejack]

I'd be excited if I played board games.

So the days have finally come... Hasbro seems to have removed A LOT of episodes recently, and I can't find any uploads of some episodes on that site. ;_;

[Coob]

Spoiler

So it appears that season 4 has been pretty much confirmed -- and it looks like it's 26 episodes long.

 

Commence partying.

[Andrewnuva199]

Hey guys, remember this?

hey guys FLUTTERSHY PLUSHIE

remember this?

And also Vinyl Scratch.

but FLUTTERSHY PLUSHIES oh goodness yes

Look closely at that pic. According to KYM, some of the Twilight plushes have WINGS.

I can't believe we all missed that.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Hey guys, remember this?

hey guys FLUTTERSHY PLUSHIE

remember this?

And also Vinyl Scratch.

but FLUTTERSHY PLUSHIES oh goodness yes

Look closely at that pic. According to KYM, some of the Twilight plushes have WINGS.

I can't believe we all missed that.

On a side note related to the noodle-hair plushies, one of the ones seen at the Nuremberg Toy Fair was none other than THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRRIXIE.

And yep, the winged Twilight plushies were indeed spotted in that pic. There were actually a fair amount of winged Twilight hints popping up from time to time, which makes it a bit of a surprise that so many people didn't get used to the idea sooner.

[Brickeens]

Spoiler

So I'm quite behind, I've only seen about half the S3 episodes, but I've just been hearing about Alicorn Twilight. I'm as surprised as anyone else, but I think it's quite a fitting development, as Twilight has always been exceptionally talented and has saved Ponyville on multiple occasions.

[Applejack]

GUYS! New announcements today!

Spoiler

MLP MOVIE! And a new FiM show for an older audience! I'm not sure how I feel about that...

[Valenti]

Well, Fighting is Magic finally got hit with a Cease and Desist. :/

[Applejack]

Saw that. I'm not surprised it happened.

[Andrewnuva199]

GUYS! New announcements today!

Spoiler

MLP MOVIE! And a new FiM show for an older audience! I'm not sure how I feel about that...

*Takes off glasses* Crikey!

Spoiler

Boy, Hasbro seems willing to embrace more media in relation to this show now. Hope they don't crash and burn, I know people who feel this show lost something in Season 2, as well as tiring of the fandom's influence. Plus who know what the final state of the fallout from this whole Alicorn Twilight ordeal will look like.

Well, if we can get better plushes out of this, I'm happy.

Edited by Andrewnuva199, Feb 08 2013 - 11:24 PM.

[Bundalings]

Fighting is Magic being destroyed isn't surprising, but it's tragic. Completely tragic.

 

Nearly boycott levels of tragedy.

[Applejack]

Well a week till all heck breaks loose.

I don't remember the fandom ever freaking out this negatively about the show.

[Lyichir]

Fighting is Magic being destroyed isn't surprising, but it's tragic. Completely tragic.

 

Nearly boycott levels of tragedy.

The problem with it isn't that it was shut down, so much as when it was shut down. Hasbro has typically been lax about fan works in the past, and only recently are they starting to crack down on things. And in the case of things like ###### videos? That's more or less okay. They were typically up for long enough for plenty of people to see them, and Hasbro has every right to stop being so lenient whenever they like. Fighting is Magic is a different story. With that, they are eliminating something that has taken months of effort from numerous individuals before anyone even has a chance to enjoy it. I suppose the main thing that prompted the cease-and-desist letter was how big the project was getting; unlike many fan-games, Fighting is Magic was getting a lot of attention even from non-Bronies, and the root concept was indeed somewhat at odds with the show's message. Still, it's depressing that something like this could be allowed to go on for so long, and then be instantly shuttered. Hasbro had better get their house in order, and be more clear and consistent about this kind of thing in the future.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

Well a week till all heck breaks loose.

I don't remember the fandom ever freaking out this negatively about the show.

I do. There was a similar outcry from many fans when Princess Cadance was announced, because to some the fact that more than two alicorns can exist and don't have to be treated with godlike authority cheapens the role of alicorns in their own headcanon.

What bothers me is that a lot of people have treated this as "destroying Lauren Faust's vision for the show", ignoring the fact that this may have in fact been planned from early on. In BIONICLE there was a similar reaction to Mata Nui being revealed to be a giant robot-- to many, this was symptomatic of the radical changes the story had undergone since 2001, never mind that this was the underlying basis of the entire saga from the very beginning. Naturally I'm not going to assume that Lauren Faust had this change in mind from the start, but I also think it's completely unfair of people to treat this as a transgression against her without any consideration for how she actually feels (or worse, treat it as a transgression against the fans and blaming her for her decision to leave the show in very capable hands).

Overall, I think when the episode airs, a lot of people who were on the fence about it may decide that they like the change after all. But much like the Royal Wedding, a lot of people who are against the idea will still consider it a bad move and perhaps even an excuse to leave the fandom. But that's life. No show can keep all its fans engaged forever unless it is repetitive by design and has too short a lifespan to need any kind of change between starting and finishing.

[Kung Fu Rahkshi Destroyer]

Personally, I'm here for the writing, not what the characters look like. As long as this is well written, I could care less

Also, how the heck did we not catch the 'He's a giant robot!' line in MoL?

[Keizah the Kaleidoscope]

It's a tad ironic, isn't it?  Mane 6 was extremely upset about the leaked beta, but now its the only version of the game that actually got released.  I guess that's a good question though: will Mane 6 be legally liable if they "accidentally" leak the finished version of the game?  On the other hand, they probably won't be able to finish it anyway without Elosande or Prominence....

[Takuma Nuva]

Fighting is Magic being destroyed isn't surprising, but it's tragic. Completely tragic.

 

Nearly boycott levels of tragedy.

The problem with it isn't that it was shut down, so much as when it was shut down. Hasbro has typically been lax about fan works in the past, and only recently are they starting to crack down on things. And in the case of things like ###### videos? That's more or less okay. They were typically up for long enough for plenty of people to see them, and Hasbro has every right to stop being so lenient whenever they like. Fighting is Magic is a different story. With that, they are eliminating something that has taken months of effort from numerous individuals before anyone even has a chance to enjoy it. I suppose the main thing that prompted the cease-and-desist letter was how big the project was getting; unlike many fan-games, Fighting is Magic was getting a lot of attention even from non-Bronies, and the root concept was indeed somewhat at odds with the show's message. Still, it's depressing that something like this could be allowed to go on for so long, and then be instantly shuttered. Hasbro had better get their house in order, and be more clear and consistent about this kind of thing in the future.

The problem isn't necessarilly that Hasbro actually WANTED to put the plug in it though, remember. They could lose the rights to their own trademarks (or something like that, I'm not keen on the particulars) if they DON'T actively protect it. It's sad, but it is how copyright laws work.

 

I can't say for sure, but I could swear that it was stated that they're okay if they just try to remain "oblivious" to something, but if somebody actually goes to Hasbro and points it out to them saying, "LOOK! LOOK AT THIS! YOU CAN'T ALLOW THIS!" then that's when it becomes a case of "we're not allowed to just ignore it anymore". Again, I'm just going off of memory here, but it could very well be that a "hater" decided to go and do that just to be a huge butthead.

 

EDIT: Good heavens, what happened to my text?

Edited by Takuma Nuva, Feb 09 2013 - 01:16 PM.

[Samhain]

From what I understand, quite a bit of the crackdowns (referring to those on ######) were done by ######'s filter and not hasbro themselves.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

From what I understand, quite a bit of the crackdowns (referring to those on ######) were done by ######'s filter and not hasbro themselves.

But Hasbro is the one who demanded there be a filter for those episodes-- but even then, they were somewhat justified seeing as it's hard to get companies to publish DVDs of something that people are already watching online for free.

In other news, MLP:FiM exclusives from Toys 'R' Us! Last year, there was the Zecora brushable and a "Favorites Collection" that included several popular ponies like Nightmare Moon, the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRIXIE, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, along with background ponies Lemony Gem and Flower Wishes. This time, they've got a Shadowbolt brushable, a talking Nightmare Moon, and a favorites collection including such ponies as Diamond Tiara, Queen Chrysalis, Shining Armor (good to have him in something other than the giant pink wedding castle, since he remains our only brushable stallion), Cadance (less exclusive but still an important character), Lyra Heartstrings, and Derpy Hooves.

That's right. You read correctly. Derpy Hooves. In a set available for the general public to purchase. I think any claims that Hasbro is out-of-touch with the brony community have pretty much evaporated now. Clearly there is no conspiracy to eliminate Derpy, and in fact despite not appearing in the show this season, this is a milestone for her in terms of getting official recognition. Can't wait for these to become available, and I hope they produce a good supply, because this might become the most popular MLP toy there has ever been within the brony community.

Edited by Aanchir: Rachira of Time, Feb 09 2013 - 01:47 PM.