FimFictionVersey Q & A Followup

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who expressed their sympathies to me in the wake of my Uncle Tony's unexpected passing. I appreciate that you all reached out to me to offer your condolences.

Second, I'd like to take this time to inform you all that I've landed another part-time job, this one a much more demanding one that's also more closely related to what I ultimately want to get my lifelong career in. As such, I won't have as much time on Thursdays, Fridays or Sundays to do things like write and publish fanfics, or make blog posts.

Now, with both of those out of the way, we can get into what I'm sure you've all come here for: The answers to your questions you asked during my blog post celebrating eleven years of being on this site. Thanks to everyone who participated, and I hope the answers are to your satisfaction.

First up is Bronycommander, who asks the following:

1. what exactly made PInkie pie your most favorite, if I got your bio right
2. what is your opinion about Cozy and her fate in MLP's ending? I never understood it, given she's a kid and such.
3. who's your favorite princess, Luna or Celestia?
4. What is your opinion of Equestria girls, if I may ask.
5. Who's your favorite out of the g5 main characters?
6. Got any favorite character out of the foals in mlp?

1. What drew me to Pinkie Pie was how despite in many ways being the face of the show early on (a role she frequently shared with Rainbow Dash), she was so often mischaracterized or misunderstood. So many people seem to think she can only ever be random, or comedic, or hyperactive and happy all the time. And there's so much more to her character than that. Heck, in some ways it could be argued that she is something of a tragic character: Determined to bring happiness and joy to others so they won't feel sad and lonely like she does.

2. My opinion about Cozy Clow as a character, and my opinion about her fate haven't really changed much since both came on the scene. Cozy Glow's entire existence feels like she was made intentionally to anger fans who dared to complain about the overuse of redemption, particularly in the wake of Starlight Glimmer and Tempest Shadow. Nothing about Cozy makes any sense if you really think about it: How was she able to get in touch with Tirek without anyone finding out? What makes her friendship literally translates into power? How come, if she was doing so bad in her classes, none of the mane six or Starlight were taking any steps to try to help her? And what made her this end level threat that warranted a response greater than the countless times before her when, even an invasion of Equestria seemed to be shrugged off? As for her fate, I'll give the DHX staff the benefit of the doubt and assume they just didn't think things through, but even they can't seem to understand why so many people got mad about Cozy Glow being locked in Tartarus, and then being turned to stone. Her being a child ony makes this worse because she was never given an opportunity to plead her case. We probably wouldn't have cared if she wasn't a child, her being a child only made her that much worse. It's like if you tried to make Angelica Pickles from Rugrats a super villain in a serious show. We wouldn't buy it for a second, no matter what you tried to do to explain it. Child villains are so rare specifically because they're hard to pull off in a believable fashion.

3. My favorite princess is no secret: It's Princess Celestia. No offense to Luna fans, but I find Princess Luna to be very overrated, to the point where fanon Luna and show canon Luna might as well be two entirely different characters. I hate how so many people try to paint Luna as this innocent saint who did nothing wrong the whole time, and Princess Celestia was this evil tyrant or troll all because of the Nightmare Moon incident. Nevermind the fact that Luna obviously had to allow herself to be corrupted, to be led astray. It's like the argument that the devil made you do something bad. You still have free will, if you choose to do something bad that's on you, not anyone else. At any point, you can say no if you feel like you shouldn't be doing something. And what are we to make of the pain Celestia had to endure as a result of having to fight and subsequently banish her own sister? How much of a burden did that put on her? Her having to live with that guilt for a thousand years (and perhaps longer), but her not only continuing to rule but doing so in a state of peace and harmony indicates that Princess Celestia is much stronger, skilled and competent than most fans give her credit for. There's a reason why she has an entire canon devoted to the idea of her being motherly, she's like a gentle, guiding figure that seeks to kindly nudge others into being their best selves. As is often the case in real life, her lack of forcefulness upfront is mistaken for weakness, even though sometimes the hardest thing anyone can do is not fight back.

4. My opinion of Equestria Girls is that it's ultimately a mixed bag. At first, it was a spin-off no one wanted, and was supposed to be the very last thing G4 ever did. If that had been the case it would've an insult to FiM's legacy by using all the cliches and tropes it was praised for avoiding or subverting. Maybe if it had been a self-parody it could've worked, Friendship is Withcraft's take on it (that looks like it will sadly always be left incomplete) seems to have had the better idea of poking fun at the absurdity of it all. The franchise did get better over the course of the next two movies, largely due to its focus on Sunset Shimmer and her transformation from villain to hero. I think it's safe to say that the franchise never really developed past its dependency on Sunset to carry it, the only other character who didn't feel like a carbon copy of a FiM character was Sci-Twi, and even she gradually faded away. It's such a shame that when the franchise seemed to be ripe for expansion, ripe for blossoming into a full-fledged spin-off that could've given it a chance to truly stand on its own, Hasbro left it floundering and ultimately pulled the plug on it.

5. Of the G5 main characters so far, my favorite remains Izzy Moonbow. I'll admit, she hasn't been exactly the same without her movie voice actress. All the other VAs have been servicable replacements and some have even arguably surpassed their movie counterparts, but Izzy's VA for the show just isn't able to match the voice Izzy had for the movie. It certainly doesn't help that "Tell Your Tale" has all too often relied on turning Izzy into a flanderized Pinkie Pie, acting more like modern Patrick Star because the writers think making a stupid character do stupid things to others for no good reason is funny even though we know it's not. Thankfully, aside from a few moments here and there where it's felt like she's lost some brain cells, Izzy has been doing pretty well for herself in "Make Your Mark". I appreciate that they let us see a softer side of her, making her more like a kinetic and less in your face kind of Pinkie Pie. As to whether she'll stay that way whenever Misty inevitably joins the group, it's hard to say. But I feel like it wouldn't be fair to the others to say that Misty would be the one with the most potential, there's still a lot of untapped potential in each of the mane five so far. For Izzy, there's still a lot to explore about her past, even though it seems like the prevailing canon is that she was an orphan.

6. That's a little bit tricky since "foal" in the show was used to refer interchangably to school aged children as well as babies. So I'm gonna cover both just to be safe. For school aged children, my favorites would have to be the following: The CMC (obviously), Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara (particularly after her redemption) and Rumble (despite the angsty teenage phase he went through in "Marks and Recreation"). And for baby ponies, my favorite would have to unquestionably be the Cake Twins, Pound and Pumpkin. Flurry Heart's entire existence broke all the rules of the show, and there really isn't anything they could've done with her as a baby that they couldn't already do with the Cake Twins. I really feel like there's a lot of ways to explore them growing up, being raised by their parents and with Pinkie Pie as an honorary aunt/big sister. What kind of influence would Pinkie have on them as they grew up? Would they follow in their parents' footsteps, or would they branch out to become something different? Would they stay as close to each other as they got older, or would they grow apart? Plus, at least unlike Flurry Heart, we got to see the twins get out of diapers within the lifespan of the show.

Up next is Comicook, a long time indirect contributor to the "What If?" series and a frequent commentor on many of my stories. And he asks the following:

1. What are the episodes you plan to use in your latest volume of your "What If?" series?

2. Any plans for a Super Dragon story this year (in honor of Superman's 85th birthday)?

and 3. What do you think of the idea that, after magic mostly went away in Equestria, that only twenty years passed in the human world for every thousand in Equestria (to allow for actual interaction between human versions of the G5 characters and older and wiser versions of the human counterparts to most of the G4 characters)?

1.: Spoilers for those waiting for the next volume to be published: The plans are for twelve episodes: Sonic Rainboom, May The Best Pet Win, a redo of Magic Duel, Princess Twilight Sparkle Parts 1 and 2, a redo of Rarity Investigates!, Flutter Brutter, a replacement for P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View), Rock Solid Friendship, The Hearth's Warming Club (since it's the last episode of Season 8 that I haven't rewritten), a bonus chapter for 2, 4, 6, Great! focusing on Silverstream wanting to join the Wonderbolts, and something of a bonus chapter for She Talks to Angel that will put Discord into the story.

2. I originally hadn't planned on one, because I was unaware of that milestone anniversary. But now that I do know about it, I do indeed intend to do a Super Dragon story this year, publishing it in June most likely. As for it is, you'll just have to wait and see.

3. It's an interesting idea, but I don't know if it makes sense. There has been some official Equestria Girls merchandise based around the G5 characters, but as of right now there's no indication that they'll lead to anything. They never established how much time passes between a day in the human world and a day in Equestria, or what the time equivalent is.

Now we have Dinosaur12, who asks only:

What was it like writing your first story on the site?

To be honest, it was very much a learning experience. I had an idea in my mind about what I wanted the story to be about, so I went ahead and started on it and published it. But I really didn't think things through. I really didn't know a lot of the rules about writing that I've learned now through my experiences both on and off this site. Heck, I let my inspiration wander and I shifted my focus to two other stories that I wrote in full before I came back to finish my first official story. For me at least, when it comes to writing, finding inspiration isn't that hard. Figuring out how to translate that inspiration into writing and make it flow seamlessly is the hard part.

And finally, we have MLPFollower who actually asked more than the ten questions allowed. So I will answer the first ten questions here, and shoot off a reply to the other three in a PM. The ten questions I will reply to here are as follows:

1) Given that five generations of My Little Pony have seen their shows be voiced by Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto talent, do you reckon that they’ll do a generation voiced by New York talent in the future?

2) What would you have liked to see if Hasbro allowed Lauren Faust to carry out her original vision of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?

3) Do you think that Season 3 should’ve had 26 episodes like the rest of the seasons?

4) Besides Tirek and Grogar, what other pre-FiM antagonists would you have wanted to see in the show and why?

5) What adult topics (for example, sex and gun violence) do you think should be shown in My Little Pony?

6) If My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic had went differently, do you think that Prince Blueblood and/or the Windigos would have been the main antagonist(s)? Why or why not?

7) Off topic, but what are your thoughts about the Genre Shift trope?

8) In relation to My Little Pony: The Movie, do you wish that the special guest stars (Emily Blunt, Kristen Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, Michael Peña, Sia, Taye Diggs, Uzo Aduba, Zoe Saldana) should’ve reprised their roles in the show?

9) Don’t take this the wrong way, but why do some of your stories contain diapers, diaper usage and AB/DL themes?

10) What creatures do you wish were featured on the show?

1. Most definitely. After all, Hasbro has already used New York based talent for one of their other shows: Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy. Plus, from my understanding, New York's VA pool is non-unionized whereas most Vancouver's VA pool is entirely unionized and many of the big talents in LA's VA pool are unionized. And unionization does come with a higher price tag to pay for all the benefits the union wins for its VAs.

2. Well, Lauren Faust always said the Cakes love Pinkie Pie like a daughter, so I would've loved to have seen that be fleshed out and explored more in depth. Lauren also said she wanted more action based stories, and wanted Zecora to be a second mentor to Twilight. And given what "Magic Duel" showed, having Zecora as someone to teach Twilight would've been interesting, especially if they wanted to lean more into the "When not to use magic" that Zecora supposedly taught Twilight.

3. Yes, most definitely. In fact, pretty much the only reason why Season 3 wasn't 26 episodes long was because it entered production as the last season planned. It was only at the last minute that word was given that the show would be extended, and by that point it was too late to allocate resources for thirteen more episodes to be written, directed and animated.

4. Maybe the witch Hydia, given that her daughters (I believe) were made the focus of the G1 crossover comic "Generations". Aside from that, I can't think of any other G1 villains that I would've liked to see in G4.

5. Gun violence feels like a believable topic they could address in the MLP franchise given all the technological advancements we saw in G4 and G5. Of course, they would have to be careful not to be too heavy handed or preachy with it, considering O.K. K.O. did a gun control aesop that even gun control advocates said was poorly timed and poorly handled. I think the best way to go about it would be the route of Disney's Gargoyles, where they had an episode where the human main character was accidentally shot with a gun. And they showed the consequences that could stem from such an event, a way to show that firearms are not toys and that owning a gun comes with the responsibility to make sure it is secured properly, kept out of the hands of anyone who might use it to hurt others or themselves.

6. It's hard for me to see Prince Blueblood ever being a major antagonist. He was just meant to be the deconstruction of the Prince Charming trope, and that was it. Honestly, given that he didn't know Rarity at all, I think anyone could've predicted that her romantic feelings towards him would not be reciprocated. At most, I could see Blueblood becoming a reoccurring minor villain, something like pre-reformed Diamond Tiara or Spoiled Rich (just maybe not done too well in the "hate sink" department). As for the windigos, that would've required establishing a more consistent lore. If "Hearth's Warming Eve" had bothered to clarify what was fact and what was fiction, it wouldn't have felt like such a leap for the windigos to be established as real out of the blue in "The Ending of the End" (especially since they really didn't do anything from a narrative standpoint).

7. It's a trope that is very difficult to pull off properly. Often, when it is done, it is done very poorly: Either by suddenly changing the tone and feel, or by turning one thing into something else entirely. Very rarely can I think of an example where a genre shift was done properly in any work of fiction. When done poorly, it either becomes a case of filler, or a case of "Ow, the edge".

8. Yes, most definitely. In fact, I'm willing to believe that the reason why at most the movie characters got silent cameos or a passing mention after said movie was because the show either couldn't afford or couldn't find VAs that could match the movie performances. I feel like they could've found servicable replacements if they really tried, Tempest and Queen Novo at least are two characters I think everyone would've wanted to see more of.

9. Well, it's all part of being an AB/DL. For many, diapers and usage of them is a part of their identity and a part of who they are. My intention with each of those stories is to show that what AB/DLs want most is acceptance and understanding. Many of them can and do lead perfectly normal, perfectly healthy lives. And for some, it's even a way of de-stressing, a much safer means of doing so than turning to drugs or alcohol (and far less stigmatizing). If not for the site rules specifically stating that all fetish related material must be rated Mature, I'd probably honestly rate most of the stories as Teen. The disclaimers at the beginning of the stories is simply to cover my bases, because I know if I don't include them someone would inevitably complain that they weren't warned.

10. You mean, besides the ones that were already featured: Like dragons, or yaks, or kirins? Well, batponies were always popular within the fandom, but aside from two appearing as Princess Luna's guards and one chapter book mentioning them briefly, we never got to see them. It'd be interesting if we did, particular in the wake of both "Luna Eclipsed" and "Bats!" to see what their society and culture was like. I suppose the kirin and the buffalo could also count, seeing as we barely saw them at all, so they might as well only have been eluded to. The kirin especially were in need of fleshing out, because what we learned about them in "Sounds of Silence" really didn't paint them in a good light if they would silence the only one among them who ever dared to speak out or be different.

And there you have it, hope the answers were to your satisfaction.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

yes, that is quite plausible.

you tell me.

narurally, I guess many ssaw up to kuna due to the lack of screntime in season 1 and how she was misunderstand. Me, I just find the night has a certain beauty.

its a shame. me, never had any issues with it, finding it a rather interesting idea. Hmm, NOw I wonder how your OC would fit in EQ, no offense.

Should have known, given your like for PInkie and how similar Izzy is to her., hehe.

Ahm well, for me, foals is a general term for the school aged kidsAlthough, with your like for PInkie, your OC should better be careful around the cake twins.

[Comickook]

Thanks very much for the answers. Yeah, all those answers make sense. Of course, there could be passing references to both ""Equestria Girls" AND the "Reflections" arc of the IDW comics included in the beginning of Part One of "Princess Twilight Sparkle" (before the trouble starts) if you wish to do that (though I'll respect if you don't want to).

[Splashtraveler47]

Okay I am well aware that I did not participate in this Q & A but this question over there from the last section: 5) What adult topics (for example, sex and gun violence) do you think should be shown in My Little Pony?

You answering that gun violence is a believable topic that the MLP franchise can handle. I would have to disagree. I don’t think the MLP franchise with its main target age being young kids and it’s lighthearted nature is a good candidate on handling gun violence. As well as definitely not sex, why would someone ask that?