Sta.sh
#37) I've heard tales of Season 3 being the last season. Is there any truth to this?
Answer: I don't work on the show, and so I can only reply with speculation and a little bit of evidence. A lot of people think that Season 3 will be the last season of "Friendship is Magic"; when the '13-episodes-only' revelation popped up as well, even more people began to see the end of the show as nigh. However, a shorter season doesn't necessarily mean the end of the show; there are many reasons for why the third season will be 13 episodes. I'm not going to get into detail on the whole 'syndication' thing, because you see so many bronies throwing it around based on hearsay without really knowing what it means.
Suffice to say that the show seems to be doing well for DHX Media, Discovery Communications and Hasbro – the three big parties associated with it. They know about the popularity of the show, and so if they do choose to end the show at Season 3, it's fair to assume that their professional staff know what they're doing. Then again, with a show doing so well, it would seem silly, at least on the surface, to end something good, unless it was to make way for something else (in the case of My Little Pony, a new generation of the product, for example).
Being interested in the social media side of the fandom, I watch just about every interview that I can find with the staff working on "Friendship is Magic". From what I've seen, the majority of them in interviews mention ponies as something that they're currently working on. In addition, new writers appear to have updated their lists of jobs on LinkedIn, for example, saying that they're now working on My Little Pony. As Season 3 is scheduled to come out in the next month or two, there's no reason in my mind why new writers would be hired for episodes that must have been written ages ago. The assumption is, therefore, that writers are being hired for Season 4.
Of course, I could be entirely wrong. However, given that I've heard no word from any member of staff that the show is ending with Season 3, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you watch or read any interview with the staff and voice talent on the show, they're all talking about how much they enjoy working on it; none of them seem to suggest that it's something that they used to work on. And, while Season 3 isn't out yet, you'd assume that if the show was ending soon, the writers and story-board artists and so on would have found new jobs by now, as their roles in Season 3 will have finished now.
I can't confirm anything one way or the other. I will, however, say that bronies won't have any say in how long the show lasts for. "Friendship is Magic" will get to however many seasons it gets to irrespective of the brony community. People may attempt to raise money to save the show, but that's a point for another question; for the sake of this question, I make the point that while the show remains popular with its intended age-group and the toys sell well, logic would suggest that the show will continue to be made. The copious amounts of merchandise – the new official comic coming out, to name but one example – suggests that "Friendship is Magic" isn't dead yet.
#38) What do you think of bronies that put the rest of us in a bad light (cloppers, those that take it too far etc.) and what advice do you have for those who have to deal with all the hate?
Answer: My opinion on cloppers and those who overreact is fairly inconsequential. I'm but the voice of one person, and, in addition, I'm not a typical fandom-orientated guy. I don't tend to associate with internet fandoms, and the primary reason that I've stayed in the pony fandom is really so that I can write about my observations and further my own journalistic interests. My point being that I'm not the typical sort of person who indulges in a fandom, and so I don't represent the typical brony. Therefore, things that are deviant to me might not be to others.
I dislike the pride that a lot people have in their clop; the irreverent, "we're allowed to do it because it's the internet, so fuck off" attitude annoys me. In my mind, drawing stuff like the Cutie Mark Crusaders having sex is distasteful, and nobody is going to convince me otherwise. Maybe I'm just too 'normal'? Hrm. Then again, I'm a professional person, and thus I feel that if Hasbro disapprove of something – and yes, I've had my own dealings with Hasbro's customer service staff in relation to clop and, believe it or not, they do not approve of My Little Pony porn – we should respect their stance and remain professional by adhering to it.
Of course, people can tell me to fuck off and let them draw what they want to draw, and there's not a lot that I can do about that, short of portraying those bronies in a negative light. While I may not fit in with a large bulk of the brony fandom by disapproving of that kind of content, I can safely say that by adopting the stance that I do I make a lot of friends outside of the internet, which is fine by me. You asked for my opinion, and there you have it. At the very least, I'd request that the people who make clop-content keep it as private as possible.
As for advice on how to deal with hate, I assume that you're talking from the perspective of the people who 'put the rest of us in a bad light'? If that's the case, then I would suggest that if you are a clop-artist/writer, you should be prepared for a mixture of happy, horny replies and irritated, angst-y ones. Usually, if you're circulating your stuff in clop-circles, you'll mostly receive praise; and, if you're distributing it in places like DA and you get some hate, you can always attempt to justify what you're doing. Nothing is stopping you from arguing your case as much as the next person.
For those taking things too far, while that's ambiguous, I'd suggest that those people just calm down and hold off on radicalising a situation. Some bronies are addicted to drama and gossip, and making situations increasingly more dire. Those people should just take a step back, remember that they're getting flustered over a kid's show, and then prioritise what really matters in life.
#39) Is it such a big deal that the writers go to the little itty-bitty trouble of acknowledging that Equestria is now ruled by a diarchy instead of monarchy, since that is more interesting mythology? Also, weren't you the least bit puzzled as to why Luna wasn't written in the invasion scene from last season's finale, such as when her older sister went up against Chrysalis or even after she was struck down?
Answer: Can I play the, 'The Show is Designed for Little Kids' card? If so, I throw it onto the table now. I say this a lot of the time, but it seems fitting here as well: the show is designed for people who wouldn't even know what a 'diarchy' was. Fans who are really into the show might wonder about these things, but I'm curious as to what incentive the show has to elaborate upon it. Would kids benefit from a story explaining about the diarchy between Luna and Celestia? Possibly, but it's hardly necessary now, is it?
Fans need to learn that certain things are left unexplained for a variety of reasons. The staff are just doing a job; they aren't here to cater to brony needs. Hell, part of the fun of the fandom should be coming up with answers to these questions yourself. You clearly have an interest in Luna, and while that's fair enough, you can't expect the show to indulge your interest. Luna is a minor character in the context of the show, and so, like it or not, she's not going to be turning up everywhere. Whether it's because the people at the top don't want her in the episodes, or if the writers just don't deem it to be necessary, is ultimately irrelevant.
As such, Luna's absence in the fight sequence of the "Canterlot Wedding" episodes is hardly surprising. Having Luna there would have taken more time without actually adding anything; had Luna been there, what would she have done? Beaten Chrysalis? That would have changed the story. The only answer would be that she would have also been defeated, which wouldn't have shown us anything in the narrative that we didn't already see with Celestia being defeated - that Chrysalis is super-powerful. That scene was ultimately Cadance's chance to shine, not Luna's. Logically, yes, Luna would have helped, but, again, this is a cartoon designed for kids. Certain leaps in logic are allowed and should be accepted for the sake of keeping a story simple and doing away with extraneous details.
Why not spend more time thinking about what the show does right and less time concerning yourself over what you think it does wrong?
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She appear Two times in the final:
1. Entering the city from outside to watch over it at night. establishing that we shouldn't expect her to be in canterlot during the day.
2. In the final scean: joining the wedding party in the evening speaking a line that lampshade the fact that she just miss a big chrysis.
This dose shows an attention to detials, and that the creatirs found no way to incorporate her during the climax without hurting the episode (there most likely wasn't one anyway).
if there is a problem with Luna, it's that the creators of the show underestimated the popularity that she would gain during season 1 and didn't try to give her any apperiance.
I also look after children during Lifegroup, and I let them play with all my old toys, I set up the Wii for them because they want to play Wii tennis and they like me as much as I like them because they are like little brother and little sister to me.
When I'm with my non brony friends, we hang out, we talk about school, we talk about video games, and game design, and stories, and comedians, we joke and laugh, we talk about the past and the future.
So yes, I'm a clopper, I'm a yiffer.
and even though I do all the things I do, I will always be looked upon as that freak that wanks to ponies.
despite who I am, despite what I do, I will always be seen as that immoral, sick, bastard that likes clop art, and is that right? is it right that I, a person who still loves the show, who still loves the morals it teaches, be treated like this sick bastard just because of something like that? Just so you know even though we have our fetishes we are still people, and we still feel pain. And when people say that we put you other bronies in a bad light, and saying "The rest of us" like you people are trying to distance yourselves from us.
Do you have any idea the betrayal we feel?
In response to last time, I kinda went by what feedback you gave me in my only journal entry. I even said you were true for the most part with "Luna Eclipsed" being effective fanservice. I just mentioned that they also took time to establish and actually develop a character for her. But, I admit it wasn't fair and unjustified for me to use something like that against you. I don't want there to be any bad blood between the two of us.
I guess it's true that opinions can change as quick as a flash, since you mentioned when I sided with your defense of Cadence, which I also agree that she deserved to be in the spotlight in the season finale, that you hoped for an episode that fleshed out the royal sisters. I know you mentioned countless times that Luna was an extremely minor character, but what changed your mind to not really caring about a plot that explores her and Celestia's relationship? Is there more to that statement or not really? I just admire hearing viewpoints from a different perspective and won't in anyway lash out at you for it.
As for me, I just see a multitude of topics that could be covered in a few day in the limelight episodes. How did Celestia keep her composure for an entire millennium? Does Celestia act like a secondary mother to Luna? Do the two of them cry upon each others shoulders over the regret of what transpired that night? Was Luna in a coma or fully aware of her imprisonment for so long? Just how powerful are the two of them if they fight as one? The possibilities are just endless!
Also, I was referring to the more sensible fans, like myself, of the show, those who appreciate but have many other interests as well and don't waste their money on the memorabilia. Not to mention bronies who have ideas for synopsis outlines that could work within the context of the show. I never really understood why Luna was made into a gamer throughout fanfiction and fanart. Where did that come from and what's up with it?
Even though I do have legitimate problems with the show, like with story and character, I still won't stop loving it for what it has accomplished so far. I wouldn't want to trade my admiration for the core cast for anything else.
On a final note, just because it's a merchandise driven kids show doesn't give them an excuse not to try and put some more effort into it in order for it to be more accessible to all kinds of audiences. Which they have done on numerous accounts, by the way.