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Flash vs Derpy


Hive King

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Why do people loathe one but love the other? They're not all that different, according to the fandom. General hate of Flash says that his personality is bland and focused around his being nice...Derpy's is focused around being an idiot. Hell, Derpy has even less backstory, due to having less screentime. 

 

So why do people lose their shit if Derpy gets censored, but would clink glasses if Flash was done away with? It's very hypocritical

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Derpy represents the collaborative process if this show and fandom for many people, her origin makes her the mascot of many Bronies. I don't feel that Flash is comfortable at all, so no it really isn't hypocritical.

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I don't feel that Flash is comfortable at all, so no it really isn't hypocritical.

Was that a typo? I said it was hypocritical because people hate Flash for the same reasons Derpy is loved, that sentence sounds like it's missing a word to begin with 

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Hypocritical? That's a pretty heavy accusation to throw against the entire fandom. It's not hypocritical if different standards apply to two different characters, at least with me, that's very much the case.

 

You bring up an interesting point in that both of them are similar in situation, but opposite in reaction. Let me start by clarifying that I have no romantic inclination's to Twilight. So my problems with Flash are not rooted in jealousy.

 

See, Flash and Derpy both demonstrate a principal in character personality. Throughout the show, ever since the creators caught wind of Derpy's popularity, they've littered her appearing across the seasons. Far be it to be just a "where's Waldo" game, every time Derpy appears she's doing something. She pops out in weird and unexpected places, she drops a piano on Twilight, she unplugs the bobbing for apples, she waves before the Heart's Warming Eve play. Of course, her speaking debut shook the foundations of the fandom (and some houses I'm sure.) Even now, though she's returned to not speaking, she volunteers to replace Dash in the Equestria Games qualifying tournament and acts nonchalant when Twilight throws a "no offense" her way.

 

In contrast, Flash is a nice guy, drives a camaro, and he plays guitar. He does exactly one thing in the story and that's bail Twilight out. Something that her friends could have easily done and would have made sense with the movie's message.

 

See the difference? Derpy displays an enormous amount of visual personality without the focus even being on her and almost entirely without talking. Great characters can almost never speak but you still know who they are. Long Shot (Avatar), Soundwave, Snake Eyes, Samurai Jack, etc. 

 

Flash is not a character, he's a walking plot device. He exists to give Twilight a love interest, something she didn't need. Let's focus on that aspect shall we? I wouldn't mind (too much) if Twilight had a love interest if it made sense. As it stands though, Twilight and Flash had nothing to go on in terms of a relationship. What do they have in common? What do they talk about? Again, if Flash actually had some character, maybe he's a straight A math whiz or is really good at chemistry and Twilight sat in on a class with him. One scene, that's all it would take. Just something to establish that Flash and Twilight actually have some common ground to start from.

 

But no, because the rockin' spiky haired, cool kid can't be good at "nerdy" subjects because whether by Sunset Shimmer's doing or not, Canterlot High is separated into a social caste system that hasn't left the eighties.

 

My problem with Flash is that he's a box to tick, not a character meant to exist outside of the scenes that show him.

 

Good characters should be interesting even when they're off screen. They should have a presence and influence in the lives of the other characters regardless if the story requires it.

 

That's why I love Derpy and don't like Flash Sentry. As a writer myself, I can tell you that sometimes characters do sometimes arise spontaneously. Their existence just a wonderful happenstance that even if they weren't intended, the work would be lesser for their absence.

 

Derpy is such a character, truly born like the most blessed of accidents. Flash's entire existence is a mandate. He's a golem given an imitation of life.

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Derpy's (fandom) common fandom showings usually give her a "kick the dog" tag, so you actively want to protect her, similar to Fluttershy. Maybe it's the fact that we as bronies "saved her" that led to her being so loved. In a way, she's kind of a symbol of the love of our fandom...

 

Flash Sentry, on the other hand, has nothing endearing about him. He's more like Snips and Snails, where his antics tend to be more rage inducing than adorable. I personally think it's because Hasbro's laying it on to thick with the shipping, which is already a big no-no in the brony community. Your mileage may vary.

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If Flash only appeared in FiM series in the background doing silly stuff and acting cute while Derpy appeared for the first time just as a lesbian rocker girlfriend for Twilight then the roles would change and evryone would love Flash. They are not however similar in any way.

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From all the things I've seen, people hate Flash Sentry because he has absolutely no development whatsoever. He's a likable character, but he never gets a chance to expess who he really is. The pony version even more so. And just forget about the waifu thing. FORGET ABOUT IT!

 

Derpy is basically just an idiot who likes muffins. In this case though, absolutely no backstory or development makes everyone intrigued to why she acts the way she does, how her eyes got that way, why she likes blueberry muffins and if they mean anything special. Background ponies are always a source of wonder and mystery, and people cling to it. Nothing more, nothing less.

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I will admit that some of the reasons why people don't like Flash are a bit bogus but there are some fair criticisms of him. He is basically a pretty boy for Twilight to gush over and hasn't had much of a chance to be anything other than that. I don't hate him but I don't love him either, for tacked on love interest characters he is not too bad but dosen't add much either. Derpy on the other hand while she dosen't have any cannon character development has a rich history of fannon around her, her speaking role to many represented a sort of bridge between the show staff and the community at large. To many others like myself represents a teaching opportunity to reinforce the lesson taught by Zecora about respecting others for their differences. It hasn't been confirmed one way or another that Derpy has any disability aside from her walled eyes and clumsy nature but it is entirely reasonable to assume that Derpy could be misunderstood by many of the ponies. Perhaps it is assumed by many of them that she is mentally challenged when she is in fact not? I think that would make a good episode but the busy bodies ruined that with their bitching.

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I will admit that some of the reasons why people don't like Flash are a bit bogus but there are some fair criticisms of him. He is basically a pretty boy for Twilight to gush over and hasn't had much of a chance to be anything other than that. I don't hate him but I don't love him either, for tacked on love interest characters he is not too bad but dosen't add much either. 

Yep, he didn't add much to anything at all, and that's exactly how I used to take it at first, no love, no hate towards him. But, the hate he STILLS provoke to a good portion of the fandom, over a year of his debut has become so ridiculous, that I can't help but find it funny  :lol: . Hell, sometimes I take time looking for hate comments towards the Waifu Thief just to have a laugh, and he has become one of my favorite characters just for that  :P

 

From all the things I've seen, people hate Flash Sentry because he as absolutely no development whatsoever. He's a likable character, but he never gets a chance to expess who he really is. The pony version even more so. 

 

And because he stole their waifu, that's fact. Don't try to deny it, I saw tons of hate comments towards him because he's been shipping with Twily since the first trailer 

Capture.PNG

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@,

If Derpy got an episode, the writers would be forced to give her personality. At that point, liking and disliking can commence more freely, assuming she is given character traits and what not

 

But right now, she's a walking punchline for jokes with no personality that isn't fandom given. Well, aside from being unintelligent and clumsy 

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Viewers expect FIM to deliver a certain level of character depth when given the spotlight. Even Rarity's failed love interests have a level of depth to their character.

 

Derpy has depth for the times she's been on screen.

 

Flash falls short. He's just there to make Twilight blush. The end.

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@,

If Derpy got an episode, the writers would be forced to give her personality. At that point, liking and disliking can commence more freely, assuming she is given character traits and what not

 

But right now, she's a walking punchline for jokes with no personality that isn't fandom given. Well, aside from being unintelligent and clumsy 

 

If Derpy got an episode that gave her a defined personality, beyond the canon one she already has as I outlined in my above post, most of us would love it. I would imagine the reaction would be overwhelmingly for rather than against, because the writers would be working with someone that does have an established personality and would not be restricted by high school genre mandate.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I get the distinct impression that you actually dislike Derpy quite a lot and like Flash Sentry, as opposed to merely seeing some kind of supposed hypocrisy.

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@@Steel Accord,

I'm indifferent about Flash, he's just...there. I loathe Derpy for the same reasons I loathe the likes of Discord and Trixie. By themselves, they are perfectly fine characters, some better than others, but okay. What I hate is how the fandom treats them like the pillars of the world.

 

And what are they going to do? Give Derpy the angst ridden backstory everyone wants her to have about how her childhood was horrible and she's struggling to keep Dinky(not stated to be her daughter) in school? What an original concept, it's not like it's been done to death a million times before.

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@@Steel Accord,

I'm indifferent about Flash, he's just...there. I loathe Derpy for the same reasons I loathe the likes of Discord and Trixie. By themselves, they are perfectly fine characters, some better than others, but okay. What I hate is how the fandom treats them like the pillars of the world.

 

And what are they going to do? Give Derpy the angst ridden backstory everyone wants her to have about how her childhood was horrible and she's struggling to keep Dinky(not stated to be her daughter) in school? What an original concept, it's not like it's been done to death a million times before.

 

That's your choice to hate them. Not every brony likes all those characters even. I'm not very partial to Trixie and I was always a bit distrustful of Discord. You shouldn't cast such wide nets on the whole fandom even for majority views and you certainly shouldn't hold it against the characters themselves.

 

And I don't know about you, but my preferred fan depiction of Derpy is just her delivering mail and baking muffins . . . and occasionally the Doctor drops out of the sky to take her on an adventure.

 

I would strongly recommend reading my bigger post above as it might change your mind or at least present what I hope is a decently presented viewpoint to chew on.

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@@Hive King,

 

Now that's splitting hairs. You're against angst because it's overdone, but now you're against this quirky, original character trait because it's exaggerated?

 

Do you just not want fanon at all? Because if that's the case, it's hardly fair to hold Derpy guilty above all for being characterized beyond her canon appearances.

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@@Hive King,

 

Okay, out of context you see Pinkie inflating a balloon. Oh it would be ridiculous to assume that almost all of her energy is directed toward parties. Dash is sleeping on a cloud. It would be ridiculous to assume she lazes off a lot of times. 

 

Donkey Kong eats bananas, it would be ridiculous to assume he has an entire hoard of them stashed away.

 

Sonic ate chili dogs once, it would be ridiculous to assume they are his favorite food. (That originated in the American cartoon but was picked up by Sega themselves later.)

 

Want me to go on? MLP is a cartoon. Cartoon characters typically have exaggerated characteristics because animation allows for creative expression and over the top displays of emotion. Derpy is also depeicted as having a job as a mail carrier based on one scene where she's seen unloading a truck. (And dropping a piano on Twi.) Is this offensive to you as well?

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Okay, out of context you see Pinkie inflating a balloon. Oh it would be ridiculous to assume that almost all of her energy is directed toward parties. Dash is sleeping on a cloud. It would be ridiculous to assume she lazes off a lot of times.    Donkey Kong eats bananas, it would be ridiculous to assume he has an entire hoard of them stashed away.   Sonic ate chili dogs once, it would be ridiculous to assume they are his favorite food. (That originated in the American cartoon but was picked up by Sega themselves later.)

Yes. If we saw it once, yes, it would be ridiculous to assume it's their favorite thing ever. I have a screenshot of RD bucking trees, does she buck trees for a living? I have a screenshot of Pinkie Pie playing the Flugelhorn, is she a musician? I have a shot of Donkey Kong boxing, is he a boxer for a living? I have a shot of Sonic getting shot in the balls by Snake, is that his fetish?

 

 

Derpy is also depeicted as having a job as a mail carrier based on one scene where she's seen unloading a truck. (And dropping a piano on Twi.) Is this offensive to you?

I never implied she wasn't a mail carrier and that was an actual scene, not a split second shot.

 

Why do you loop back to offensive all the time? 

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Yes. If we saw it once, yes, it would be ridiculous to assume it's their favorite thing ever. I have a screenshot of RD bucking trees, does she buck trees for a living? I have a screenshot of Pinkie Pie playing the Flugelhorn, is she a musician? I have a shot of Donkey Kong boxing, is he a boxer for a living? I have a shot of Sonic getting shot in the balls by Snake, is that his fetish?

 

 

I never implied she wasn't a mail carrier and that was an actual scene, not a split second shot.

 

Why do you loop back to offensive all the time? 

 

No, but the muffin loving is combined with the consistent fan and canon characterization of her being cheerful and klutzy. Oh and to support her muffin love:

 

ab670ea11d8c4ea1812504f6e60416e9_display

 

Opening sequence in a muffin shaped car.

 

derpy+muffin.PNG

 

Notice the belt buckle?

 

To further rebuttal, why is it bad when one character's predominate trait is a favorite but it's fine when another character's predominant trait . . .

 

maud_pie_with_a_rock_by_diamondsword11-d

 

is rocks?

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I mentioned the word "offensive" only once.

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@@Steel Accord,

True, but the muffin love in the show came after fan love for it. It's a reaction to the fandom. So the muffin love is canon, as of now. You brought up good points. Derpy likes muffins

 

As for Maud...she was boring. I don't understand the hype around her either, but her hype died down fairly quickly, to my knowledge at least. Derpy's hype is still a major presence

 

And my apologies, I may be confusing you with someone else. Similar avatar to you, so yeah. Sorry about that 

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