WHAT IF... Prince Blueblood IDW comic (spoilers) · 10:50pm Mar 8th, 2017
IDW Comic, WHAT IF... Princess Blueblood had been Celestia's student.
Here's hoping for an actual story, rather than characters acting like glitchy NPCs trying to force the script along, that's never funny for me.
They manage to give a good reason for this divergent timeless. In this timeless, Celestia decides seeing Twilight's overwhelming power that she doesn't NEED Celestia to show her the ropes, and decides that her nephew Blueblood could BENEFIT from his aunt showing him more love and attention.
Meanwhile, one of the mundane teachers reaches Twilight which causes her to undo her magic, and she's given an A+++. (We don't see if Twilight gets her cutie mark.)
Also, in this timeline, the egg hatching is described as a final examine rather than an entrance examine. Interesting.
Also, Blueblood meanwhile, shows minimal interest in trying to hatch another egg nearby despite orders from Ink Well. Little Blueblood in fact takes her paper and tries to just write down that he passed so they can go out for a latte!
(Blueblood already has his cutie mark BTW.)
When Celestia reveals her plan to the little prince, he calls it a terrible idea (and more work).
And we get an awkward and selfish version of the opening number and... I will say it's a rather unrealistic that Celestia's best efforts would have NO affect on Blueblood.
Also, Blueblood has a pet orange fluff dog with fangs that's a little bundle of nasty named Bunny (I think).
Celestia has a headache with Blueblood, and like I said, it's annoying her best efforts had zero affect on his self entitled attitude. Celestia after hearing him complain (again apparently) about wanting garden paths paved so his hooves don't get stained with grass, and complains about being out in the sun too long for his delicate skin... she practically shoves him off to Ponyville just to be rid of him, saying to make a report on the celebration, and friends and stuff. (Though she does at least tell him to make friends and that some new positive influences are what he needs.)
Blueblood also complains about being holed up in a library, and wonders if they even have hotels there! (That's a good question! But I imagine Ponyville's tourist trade has boomed, making it more practical for them to.)
Celestia also GAVE HIM the book on the Elements of Harmony to read, which he turns down reading not wanting to study.
Blueblood, being Blueblood, has them divert to Manehatten first for shampoo and tapas.
This delay results in Blueblood arriving in Ponyville late at night...
An orange farm pony in a hat runs to Blueblood, thinking he's there to help, and was sent by Celestia.
On the bright side, Blueblood knows what checklists are for at least.
He makes a remark wondering if they use paper or are hammering things out in stone.
AJ is not impressed and show Bluebloood that Nightmare Moon's rampage already underway.
Given Nightmare Moon is the boogy mare, this time at least it makes sense to us the readers when Blueblood wonders if this is a show (thinks the "choreography is terrible.")
Also BTW Bunny just seems interested in chewing anything close to them, it's good for a one-shot gag, but it gets boring fast IMHO.
Applejack surly asks Blueblood if he's just some "pompous Canterlot fella" there for the Sun Celebration, or if he was sent there to help.
Blueblood, not liking the look in her eyes, tells him he's there to help.
Oh, and Nightmare Moon has blasted giant holes in some roofs for some reason.
Blueblood's already taken things pretty much off script, hopefully it's not a total disaster narrative wise.
Blueblood gives AJ Bunny, and then uses Diplomacy, but he must have rolled a 1 IMHO.
He tells Nightmare Moon he gets that dark is great for hiding flaws, but to leave the sun and moon for the adults, and to get him some bubble tea.
Nightmare Moon bucks him down the street and into a wall.
Nightmare Moon doesn't mince words, "Insolent pig."
AJ says that was just him being a jerk, Blueblood says that usually works.
Nightmare Moon, unlike the original timeline, runs her mouth off, and mentions the Elements of Harmony are the only thing that could beat her, and that they're "long gone."
There was obviously a miscommunication between the writers and the artist, as Blueblood originally just hoofed off Bunny to AJ, but in another panel AJ is now holding the element guide book.
Blueblood insists she's just spewing fairy tales to distract them. (Distract them from WHAT BB? her kicking your flanks like no one's business?)
Nightmare Moon, "Citizens! Come back here and adore me!"
BB says he has a plan... which is pretty much just AJ giving Blueblood the royal treatment. -_-
Is this story going anywhere or is the world and the plot just screwed? Hopefully this doesn't go the way of 8-Bit theater where the characters are just jackasses to each other for 90% before the ultimate evil is destroyed by a dues ex machina with the 'heroes' trying to claim credit.
AJ ditches Blueblood when he confesses he wasn't 'technically' sent to help.
Fluttershy meanwhile is getting her animals to safety apparently to hide in the woods.
(Also, Bunny is a him, though Shy mistakes him for a girl.)
Nightmare Moon shows up and starts zapping for the heck of it.. and Blueblood uses Shy's animals as a shield for them (including Bunny, who at least Blueblood apologizes to).
Shy is furious, sincerely not comprehending him. While I still think Fluttershy places animals way too high on the person scale, Blueblood is shown to NOT EVEN HAVE HEARD OF "do unto others" and thinks she said "do unto otters."
Shy makes herself scared.
Blueblood awkwardly tries to make peace with Bunny with showing him a ball.
Shy calls him a monster, Blubelood dryly points out that no, that's a monster, pointing at Nightmare Moon... okay, THAT was actually funny.
Geeze are the girls just gonna be united in their hate of Blueblood? Geeze. Are they just gonna have Derpy or Lyra as the Element of Magic? Meh. I was hoping it wouldn't be this plot. Oh well. And my friends wonder why I get so cynical.
Might as well see how this turns out though I already know at this point. -_- Meh. :-(
*puts on fast forward button* *See you guys in a minute*
(We do learn that Blueblood is from the Dartmoore Bluebloods apparently.)
Nightmare Moon takes candy from a foal. (that explains the Nightmare Night tradition at least.)
Rarity claims she's put together a cloth that contains magic, and might be able to hold Nightmare Moon, and Blueblood happens, he uses it as his personal cocoon.
He also gives Rarity his scarf, then takes it back as soon as she wants to help RD attacking Nightmare Moon with the weather team.
(On the bright side at least he DOES think Rarity is almost beautiful as him).
FOR GOD'S SAKE! RD is asking Blueblood to nit pick their 'contain Nightmare Moon' wind formation, how can he screw that up?!?!?!? Seriously, that's just poor.
Oh. It happens because RD calls him 'friend' for helping. Blueblood has RD come down to SIGN A PAPER in the middle of the fight for legally being her friend, which of course lets Nightmare Moon break free. RD is besides herself for Blueblood making her abandon her friends.
The worst part is? The art is good in this comic.
And then Nightmare Moon does with the vines, and Pinkie Pie is one of those caught and tries to break the tension with humor, but Blueblood doesn't like the joke, and the two bicker, and the girls call Blueblood a bigger nightmare than Nightmare Moon.
And Nightmare Moon has a heel realization from the mares comparing Blueblood to Nightmare Moon! -_-
This story suffers from ONE fatal flaw.
They basically transplanted canon Blueblood from the series directly into here, never taking into consideration what Celestia's closer time spent with him could actually affect him... That just feels... lazy.
AJ says she'll be Nightmare Moon's loyal friend forever if she does something about Blueblood... she kicks him to the moon, where he considers for a moment putting on Nightmare Moon's discarded helmet, then tosses it aside, deciding it doesn't go with his hair. Then asks Bunny if he wants to get him some bubble tea.
And now the moon has Blueblood's face on it. And Nightmare Moon shows up to apologize to Celly.
Then we cut to a new artist and Blueblood on the moon, where Blueblood realizes he's now alone with no one to bother him or boss him around, he makes Bunny build buildings, etc, and stone subjects, (while Bunny spells out HELP on the moon's surface with them).
Celestia's sees this and arrives on the moon. Finding 'Emperor' Blueblood giving a speech to his 'subjects.'
"Loyal adorers! We're here to today for me to tell you that I DO know about friendship. Really... Everyone else is a friendship disaster. Everypony is impressed by me... like, all the time."
And Celestia looks bewildered.
End.
And we get a letter from the writer saying he explicitly picked a character that is "beloved to no one."
He admits he started the scripting thinking Blueblood would be redeemed at the end, but "I realized that there was just no saving his character."
And that Blubelood is "best worst pony."
I have returned this comic.
If I could sum up this comic in one word it would be : DISAPPOINTMENT!
I did not enjoy this comic. Thumbs down.
Dude, I know we have our differences in opinion, but I am in the same level of disappointment as you are! Hell, either two of us could write thjis better!
WE SHOILD!
This is Void-Wolf from deviantArt by the way
4448487
I'm getting conflicting message. There are people who think this story was a waste, and others telling me "screw you" and that it was comedy gold in its purest form.
4448511
It really doesn't seem to be funny. Not to mention, using an opportunity like this for a gag is like... wasteful. Blue blood going mad at the end was kinda funny, but like it could have been so much better. Like, golden opportunity and used for cheap laughs.
That's my thoughts
I just shudder to imagine how other What If comics might turn out to be. What ones would you like to see?
Wow, what a wasted opportunity, especially with the version of Blueblood from Friends Forever 26. I based the Blueblood in my story, The Lost Hero, on that version, haughty, but knows when to do the right thing. I also gave him his vision powers from Pony POV because I thought it would make sense.
How in the world could a Blueblood raised by Celestia be like this?
Well, it's IDW, and a comic written by Katie Cook. It's obvious how you, me, and several others feel:
I mean, there are many positives of the comic:
- The artwork. Agnes Garbowska is a nice artist and it shows.
- The Mane 6 themselves act pretty close to canon, and at least they don't act like glitched NPCs.
- The Deviations in this Timeline, I liked that they didn't settle with just "Blueblood replaces Twilight" and actually showed how things went different here in more than one sense.
- Nightmare Moon's Heel Realization is done pretty well IMHO, and shows how she would've been reformed WITHOUT the Elements of Harmony (which would be seen as the "hard" way when she refused to listen), and goes with the canon that NMM is Luna's Dark Side and not some Symbiote force.
But then you have the biggest mistake of the story: It isn't "What If Blueblood was Celestia's Apprentice", and instead is "What If Season 1's Blueblood replaced Twilight in the first episode?" And Season 1 Blueblood is a one-note joke that gets old quickly.
I mean, the Friends Forever Issue with him and Shining Armor developed him AMAZINGLY: Kept him an entitled asshole... but one that knows how to handle politics, is genuinely good at diplomacy, might be an asshole but DOES have a caring side in him, and for all his flaws he has his positives. But here? NOPE, ENTITLED ASSHOLE FROM SEASON 1 ALL THE TIME!
Dear lord, I know Katie has written good stories... BUT PLEASE KEEP HER AWAY FROM "WHAT IF" AND PARALLEL UNIVERSES!
4448613 Because the writer didn't give a damn at all and went for cheap laughs
I agree with your dismay at this issue. If they'd just gone beyond keeping it all a one-note joke, I think it would have been a lot better.
And sorry to nitpick, but I think you meant to say 'Prince' Blueblood and not 'Princess', unless he ends up genderbent in the story at some point.
4448530
If this is what the others are going to be like I don't want to see.
4448720
Not to mention how the Friends Forever Issue DID save Blueblood's character!
4448621
Exactly! That's the fatal flaw of the story! If it had been say 'Twilight went to Moon Dancer's party, and Blueblood was a last second replacement' at least it would have been slightly more excusable.
4448752
Or hell, "What If Blueblood had gone throught Twilight's Character Development"? I mean, it would be interesting to see someone with the jerkish attitude of him learning from making friends on his own way. And if we truly want to get a bit "pandering" (even if I hate that word), a "What If Sunset had remained Celestia's Student?"
Of course, as long as it doesn't go a "Cutie Remark" scenario where without Twilight/Rainbow/whatever, everything's doomed... I really hate that episode.
I thought it was funny. I won't fault you for having an opinion, though - that's your right.
4448848
I'm not going to deny the humor, but I kinda felt it was a wasted opportunity. Like, it's like having a free meal voucher in a theme park and you use it on a fast food joint. Sure, its good, but there are btter stuff.
Like, this was an opportunity that could've been better used. I think that's t the core of it. It's lackluster/squandered potential.
4448621 I was gonna do that...
I was incredibly disappointed in this comic, for a lot of the reasons you pointed out, Alex. Not only does Blueblood being the same after being Celestia's student for a decade mean that Celestia must be a crap teacher if she can't improve his attitude at all over all that time, this story tears down MLP's key theme. Apparently friendship isn't that strong, it can't reach a jerk like Blueblood, the real magic is just inspiring disgust in others. The Mane 5 were all made to look like weaker just so that Blueblood is shown to be an idiot.
The worst part? Kate Cook obviously read the previous Blueblood comic, because she references Blueblood saying Diplomacy is his "strength." But then she makes sure he's terrible at that as well. It looks like she went out of her way to tear down Jeremy Whitley's character growth. She even has that nasty little author's note at the end.
4449673
Indeed. As a parody of the first episode, it falls flat for one reason, it didn't take me smile.
If they'd gone with say Twilight going to Moon Dancer's party, and Blue Blood was a last second replacement, at least THEN we'd have the excuse of it being canon Blueblood.
4449759
That'd be better, but I still think that would fall flat. One of the key themes of the opening episode, at least to me, was how Twilight Sparkle had no interest or even awareness really of friendship, but the other 5 managed to bowl her over with their amazing honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity and laughter. Here their qualities bounce off Blueblood like nothing, so the story can end on a more cynical tone. A story with an alternate friendship candidate where the other mane 5 fail to befriend that candidate just feels wrong.
I took it for what it was and I thought it was hilarious
But I can see why you didn't like it, I thought he bit about nightmare moon stealing candy was taking her evil qualities a bit too far in cartoon cliched
But for the most part I thought it was hilarious myself with blueblood's antics and I am actually glad that her not becoming celestia's student didnt mean that she failed her exam which is what I first feared when I learned of this premise but seeing the previews calmed thane fears
I would actually be itnerested in seeing fanfics based on the comic like celestia having to deal with blueblood after bringing him back since making him her protégée had doen zero to help him or her plans