My Thoughs on Flashlight · 6:52am Aug 14th, 2013
Are as follows...
No, no and HECK NO!
Honestly? The guy has NO PERSONALITY. None whatsoever. Yeah, he didn't get much screen time as a pony, but even as a human he had no personality beyond "nice guy love interest for the pretty purple princess". That's all there is to it; a cute pony guy for the cute pony girl to fall in love with; basically every romantic cliche we're supposed to hate.
I mean, what does the guy have to offer? He was nice to Twilight when she first crossed over? Anyone could have been nice to her when she first crossed over. The old "guy is nice to the girl, therefore they fall in love" is an old cliche, and frankly it's lazy. "Being nice to someone" isn't the only thing you can build a relationship on. What other things can he possibly offer? What other attributes are there that make him attractive to a character like Twilight? From what I've seen, all he has to offer is he's nice and he's handsome, therefore love. I'm sorry, I'm not going to go with that old cliche. I want substance, I want something that you can actually build on, something that makes sense. That doesn't.
"But background ponies have nothing to offer either!" I can hear some of you saying. My answer to that is; yes they do. The fans have given these characters, based on little, rich and interesting backgrounds. They've given them personalities, they've given them flaws, they've given them families, friends, jobs, and all the other things that make characters interesting. Fanon or not, that puts them leaps and bounds above what the writers of Equestria Girls gave Flash Sentry, and it gives some of them stuff that you can actually build a genuine romance on.
"But it's CAAANONNNNNN!" I can probably hear some others saying, to which I reply; so what? Where does it say that I have to stick strictly to established canon? Where does it say I can't put my own twist on things? Where does it say I can't create my own storylines and my own world building? Honestly, nowhere. Obviously, some canon elements are essential and must be preserved. Shippings? Not so much.
And on that note, where is it ever suggested that she actually loves him, and he returns her feelings? Yeah, his human version expresses some interest, but asking someone for a dance doesn't mean "I love you". "I like you" is different than "I love you". Yes, Twilight seemed to have a crush on him, but that's just it. A crush. A crush is that fuzzy warm feeling you get when you see a cute member of the opposite sex. It's not the same as loving someone. Love is a deep, rich, intimate connection based on mutual attraction. It's more than just fuzzy feelings, it's a commitment, in entirety, to another person, on a level that a mere crush cannot possibly measure. And, in addition, his pony version seems to have no romantic interest in her whatsoever.
I hope folks who read this will be able to see my point, and if they disagree, can at least understand where I'm coming from.
Pax Christi.
It's really a matter of whether or not we actually see him in season five. It's been confirmed that he's not in S4, so other than that, yeah...
Here's hoping we don't, if only to avoid the shipping wars that are sure to ensue.