We took a break on these for the holidays. Lets get back in the swing of things! Send some soapboxes!
Community soapbox time, where opinions from around the fandom are dropped down below for you all to discuss and debate! Expect these posts normally when not late every Tuesday at 1:00 PM PST. To submit your own, see this post.
Headlines this week:
- Bad Design in Pony Life and Why FIM was Better.
- How Kirins Made a Success Out Of Friendship is Magic
- Feeling Pinkie Keen is Not about Religion, It’s About Science
- What if each Mane 6 led a season?
- Can't Join 'Em? Beat 'Em!
And get your soapboxes below!
Bad Design in Pony Life and Why FIM was Better.
By: Roomy
Friendship is Magic has been over for 3 months now, or half a year if you watched the leaks. Despite this, I still find myself going online every day desperately seeking new content starring the pony model. OC's, mane 6 stuff, background ponies, and everything else that has that overall form. What is it about the pony model that makes everything about this so appealing? I suppose I never actually watched the show for the characters themselves or the writing. It was always about the style.
I don't know if there will ever be anything else like it in an era where cartoons seem to be going for ugly and quick, rather than appealing art. This is what set Friendship is Magic apart, and why I think Pony Life will be a colossal failure. It looks like every other forgettable cartoon series out there. What do companies have against just having appealing looking characters? Why dot hey need to have ridiculous mouths and stupid looking bodies? I get that it's a cartoon and it's supposed to be a little wacky, but you don't need to make that the default. Friendship is Magic had plenty of crazy and zany expressions and scenes. I just wish more cartoon designers realized that.
How Kirins Made a Success Out Of Friendship is Magic
When Season 8 premiered around a year ago, one of my absolute favourite episodes (other than the finale) was Episode 23: Sounds of Silence.
The mythological creature of 'Kirin' was always unchartered territory for many shows; very complex with origin, but the staff over at Hasbro they never shied away from introducing new creatures and species like the ‘breezies’ for instance. The way that they did it always reminds me of pure joy yet moral values: (Autumn Blaze's village) to the younger audience below and the musical number was one yet humorous and compelling at the same time, many shows grasped upon brief dialogue imbetween but this episode took it up a notch with it providing direct links between the impacts of one who is different; who attempts to break the boundaries of her society in order to rejoice her village back together after being ostracised from it. It was always charming to see the dozens of Kirin fanart, mainly Autumn Blaze and the memorable 'Cinder Glow.'
The fandom then took Kirins and expanded upon these limits, with fanfictions and art galore; I will never forget the day MLP Gen 4 was revolutionised in such a unique way.
Feeling Pinkie Keen is Not about Religion, It’s About Science
By: EnergeticRider
For some reason a lot of people think that “Feeling Pinkie Keen” episode
is about religious faith (and being a friend with someone who has
faith). And believing in things does indeed mentioned at the end of the
episode. But those people fail to notice important nuance.
In all religious stories faith comes first. And plot follows the credo:
“By believing, one sees” - which means that only after protagonist
starts believing in something, something happens as proof of that faith.
However, in FPK it’s the opposite. The story starts with Twilight
witnessing “pinkie sense”. In fact, she continuously sees all the
evidence of Pinkie’s ability to predict things throughout the whole episode.
The problem Twilight struggles is that she can’t explain something, that
she clearly sees. “Seeing is believing” - that’s the credo of those who
actually against “blind faith”. It means that if you see something, you
shouldn’t dismiss it simply because you can’t understand it. You know,
like scientists, who explore new ideas and researching unknown phenomena
without knowing about their properties.
There are lots of examples, when scientific theories that dominated for
centuries were discovered to be incorrect, or at least inaccurate. And
each of such example started with a new phenomenon that contradicted the
established paradigm. That’s why true scientist never dismisses
something simply on the grounds of that contradicting his/her personal
worldview. And so shouldn’t Twilight. That was the moral of the story.
What if each Mane 6 led a season?
By: FlareGun45
MLP - but each season focuses on one specific member of the Mane 6 leading. Like, instead of just every season focusing on mostly Twilight, how about the rest of the friends get leading focuses within the MAIN story arcs too?
For example, we get one season for Pinkie, one for Rarity, one for AJ, etc. instead of having EACH season focus on Twilight. Twilight may be the protagonist, but it might work better each of the Mane 6 (plus Spike) had their seasons where they're the main focus, and Twilight (and the others) just heavily influences them to reach their victories. Instead of it always having Twilight be the one to solve every problem. Like what season 6 was for Starlight, 'cept for some reason, she's not considered a main character.
It makes the group seem more like they all revolve around Twilight, and that's not how a REAL friendship group works. They're supposed to all revolve around eachother.
Can't Join 'Em? Beat 'Em!
By: FlareGun45
I know it sucks that even though a large majority of us can make better ideas for FIM than the writers of the latter half of the show, but when you think about it, you're just adding to someone else's work. Doncha think ya might have the potential to do something more than that? So what alota our ideas didn't come true? Yunno, there's a simple solution to this: MAKE YOUR OWN SHOW! ;)
I just read my article on Soapbox #35 about making turning fanfictions into original stories, which is something I did, and with all the years I've been working on this story, I feel it could do better if it was it's own show! With all the learning I did with writing fanfics and learning from all the mistakes FIM made - this show could really surpass FIM! And yunno what? You can do that too!
Fanfics are great and all, but they don't have that "confirmed canon" feel. Now if you made your show with your own universe, you make your own canon where you're in COMPLETE control of the universe and the story canon.... that is, as long as you work independently without some big company poking their nose in your work. *cough*Disney*cough*
You make your own show: you make your own fandom with cons, and fanfics, and fanart, and Rule 34s, and who knows? Your show can inspire others, just like Lauren's show here inspired us! Even if our shows do surpass FIM, we wouldn't be going that far if it wasn't for FIM, so can't forget that! My show definitely wouldn't exist without FIM! So thank you, Lauren, writers, DHX!
