De Spoilers · 11:53am Dec 18th, 2017
At the risk of sounding like the brony equivalent of a crochety old man, I can't help but think of when the Season 2 finale first aired, back when Discovery Family was still the Hub and they got the then-current Miss America to do cringe-inducing "That's right, animated character that will be added in post!" bits between the show and the commercials.
See, the entire focus of the premiere (er, the premiere of the finale) was on the wedding itself. Near the end of the first part, even the audience couldn't be sure that Twilight wasn't the one at fault... up until deceptive Cadence phased her through the floor of the castle, anyway. But that was a surprise. There had been nothing in the commercials, nothing online (that I knew of, anyway.) The changeling queen's reveal was a surprise. The information we got about the species, we heard for the first time. Heck, we didn't even know Chrysalis's name until the show staff mentioned it on Twitter.
What I'm saying is that this toy-animation-television programming conglomerate actually used to have decent infosec. I truly wish it still did.
As for the leaks, here's my exposure thus far: I know they exist, I've seen the time table that ends with G5 in 2020, and I've seen a YouTube thumbnail that suggests further information regarding the official Season 8 preview. Beyond that, I'm going to try to keep myself as uninformed as possible on the unofficial information. Everyone who isn't. again, please be considerate of those of us who are trying to stay surprised.
Agreed on all points. Well said.
Well said, though I do wonder how much of the "leaks" have been deliberate, including possible deliberate misinformation.
Wait... G5 in 2020? As in... they're gonna reset everything and make a whole new generation of ponies, after almost a decade?
I spoiled myself on one major S8 plot element simply because, to be as tactful and non-spoilery as I can, it was one of those things we presumed the writers would never do, and I checked out the episode to see if what I heard was true. But then I instantly regretted spoiling myself and not letting myself be surprised when the episode came out, because this'll be a big thing when it hits.
That aside, I have no intent to watch the leaked S8. The animation is unfinished, there's limited music and sound, and a lot of what they have for the two are stock effects taken from other sources (I recognized a piece of Mario music in a EqG animated storyboard). So these really aren't even S8, they're basically beta versions of the episodes. And with them obviously being unfinished, I can't really judge the episode's quality fairly. It'd be like trying to watch an episode on mute with subtitles, you're not getting the full picture of what the creators actually want to put out.
4752005
I've heard some theories that the info is faked, either to troll the fandom or discredit the person who's been leaking all this shit. I'm keeping an open mind, but also keeping as far away from the leaks as possible.
It was bad enough when we'd get an episode or two or several leaked per season, but this... agh. Sometimes, I wish the people who obsessively leak this sort of stuff would get permanent incontinence or something, see how they like it.
I've managed to remain mostly unspoiled myself, thankfully. The stuff you have, plus one thing I saw on tumblr before I properly prepared myself for filtering spoilers -- a pretty major thing, sadly. I have every intention of avoiding the rest of the leaks like the plague, I want to enjoy this properly.
As for what you mentioned in the spoilers...
Still not sure how I feel about a reboot into a Generation 5. I mean, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but it's still weird to get the news. Especially like this. Still, better to end the show on a good note than let it go the way of The Simpsons of Spongebob, to pick some easy targets.
I wonder what this will mean for the fandom, though. I figure most of us will at least check G5 out, if nothing else, but it's hard to make predictions while knowing so little.
I really wish we'd have had the chance of getting some actual info in an official release to go with this bombshell.
4752007
Spoiler just in case.
In fairness, around about a decade isn't really unreasonable for a reboot. And to point to another Hasbro franchise, Transformers, it can be a nice refreshing change of pace, without running the risk of ruining what we got. At the very least this means a planned series finale, rather than just letting it die a slow death into oblivion.
I've always said that spoilers are evil things. I avoid them at all costs on any media that I plan to eventually consume.
I have managed to avoid any actual spoilers. But their existence makes me sad.
What's the difference between getting surprised now or 3 months from now? It's ultimately still a surprise regardless of when it happens.
If there's one thing I've learned over the last few years, it's not to use email for anything you wouldn't yell into a concert audio system in Times Square.
Nostalgia can happen at any age.
I have seen ten year old children nostalgic for Minecraft Alpha...
I, too, am annoyed and exasperated that the spoilers exist. Hope nobody we like gets sacked over them...
Spoilers can often ruin people's lives, doubly-so if they're not REAL spoilers. I nearly had a panic-attack several years ago when my sis told me what she thought was a spoiler to the end of a series that I was into at the time. Turns out she'd gotten faulty information online, so I could pick the show back up again without fear.
In any case, I'm not gonna go looking for any spoilers until it's time for Season 8 to officially air.
Regarding the planned G5 reboot:
At the risk of sounding even more crotchety... Season seven really burned me out on the show, and I haven't enjoyed the comics for a long time, so this news doesn't pain me as much as it once would've. I'm glad it'll at least get a final season and grand finale rather than a quiet, sad cancellation, but I don't believe I'll enjoy the last episodes of FiM. For me, the show is already in the lumbering stage of declining quality, and if there was ever a time to end on a high note, I believe it's passed. But the fans who still like the show as it is deserve a final farewell, and G4 had enough good years to deserve a proper send-off, so I'm happy to hear it'll get one. Frankly, I think it's long overdue.
I'm trying to avoid the leaked stuff as much as I can. I'm almost certain I will end up at least partially spoiled, sooner or later, but at least I will make an effort!
4752007
The irony is not lost on me.
4752090
Two things:
1. Getting a massive lump of pony all at once makes it hard to digest; we don't do as much with it, and some deeply promising ideas never come to fruition because of all the other deeply promising ideas going around at the same time. We've seen that with some of the earlier scheduling SNAFUs.
2. As 4752016 said, these aren't the finished product. You aren't getting the full surprise, but you'll still have it ruined for you when the full one becomes available.
4752177
It was by no means perfect, but at least it was kept close to the vest. Unlike the next year and the coronation celebration that started before the first note of "Morning in Ponyville."
This year has been absolutely stupid in terms of spoilers and leaks (then again, I can't compare it to other years, as I only joined the herd a year ago). I hope to remain as spoiler-free as possible. Daybreaker was spoiled for me in a Youtube thumbnail, so not sure how successful I'll be.
Whoever is doing all this hacking and leaking has absolutely no respect, either for the show staff who work so hard on the episodes, or for the fans who want to see and enjoy their hard work. This has to stop, NOW.
4752018
The info isn't faked. It's, unfortunately, a real leak.
I know as much as you do, plus I saw a couple of interesting videos in my youtube suggestions that I didn't click on. I've watched leaks before, but never this early, and it feels weird to watch episodes that are a) unpolished and b) out of order. Though I guess I could find them in order if I really tried, but no, I'm not gonna do it this time.
I'm a little disappointed that the series is scheduled to end in 2020, especially since it has started to get good again. OTOH, at least it will probably end on a satisfying conclusion without suffering from seasonal rot, like some others pointed out.
4752453
I remember there being some leaks in S6, but not as much as S7+.
It's a sign of the times. As the show wears on and on, people get kinda tired of it. Who really cares what happens anymore now that basically everyone knows it's ending in 2020? When we had a general feeling it was going to come to an end soon anyway? Compounded with more people who aren't happy with how the show is going in general anyway, and the lackadaisical aspect of the leaks and how the fandom takes it is almost understandable.
See, I read this and I see all the neigh-sayers in the comments.
I don't mind spoilers much- I came to the party a little after the S2 premiere and knew a lot of what happened before I watched the show. I think the first episode I watched on time was Luna Eclipsed.
That being said- If you feel the show's "been in decline" for a while, why the fuck are you still here commenter dudes. If you don't like the show, I don't really feel you have the right to a platform in discourse on the show.