Katana

So lately, there have been a disturbing string of revelations to do with writers, game developers, and all manner of internet-known people getting the worst kind of threats and harassment over the internet due to little changes in one's favorite franchise. The validity of making changes to a franchise aside, I kinda had a thought for an episode that teaches a lesson about how it's so easy to turn hostile on someone when all you ever see of them is a name, an E-mail address (or, in the Equestrian equivalent, a mailbox), and brief celebrity appearances. The basic premise would involve the CMC getting super-angry at someone outside their circle of known people, and sending angry letters to them in the hopes of getting this person to change their tact. Eventually, it turns out that not only was their reason for anger a complete misunderstanding, but the person they were writing to hasn't ever gotten fan-letters before, and in spite of any appearances, is highly emotionally sensitive. (As a bonus: Part of the reason for themselves getting angry was from a letter received - and by completely misinterpreting the mood of the letter in question, since so much is lost in printed communication) Episode ends with an apology, group hug, and a lesson learned about how even when you never meet someone in person at all, never assume the worst of them, and always know there's a real person with real feelings on the other side.

My initial reaction is very disturbed, even as someone who never watched it (and pretty much understood it to be full of excessive references) but I'm eager to know if there's something more to this. Certainly if some sort of company were asking him to remove it, then they wouldn't like being labelled as the reason for removal. If that's the case, it's actually pretty noble of him to accept the blame on himself - although it's still unclear whether it's his decision to remove it, or not. This is why I'm glad I've seen better arrangements. For instance, the Saxxy award-winning video "Lil' Guardian Pyro" was uploaded once by each contributor to it. It just happened to get the most views on the account of the most popular contributor.

So one thing I do notice: And as a creator, I can confirm it's something strange: The show somehow triggers the creative instinct in a lot of people. Like, I had quit Garry's Mod movies completely for years until I saw the show. Then, I got the urge to make them again (even based around TF2 characters) just so that I could sneak in Fluttershy as a reference. Things like brony music I don't quite follow, as a lot of the techno stuff put out doesn't have much to do with the singalong efforts of the TV show. Still, there's definitely something that makes people want to do a bit more than just write fanfictions starring their OC and the female lead, as is often the case with popular franchises.

I'm a little unsure - when I go to gaming or comic conventions, I tend to get a sense of the SUPER-SUPER devoted fans of a particular fandom. I'm a little worried that it's gonna be kind of an overload - like people are going to be singing the songs nonstop and wearing tails and stuff. I have no quarrels with that, just that I'd feel a bit awkward around there.

I'd be more receptive to that stuff if it was focused on the show's appearance of them. ie, not totally expressionless, sparkly, wide-eyed, and plush-ified. Hopefully, the popularity isn't seen as "weird" though.

I don't mind it being used - what I mind is an overfocus on it at all. I've actually been really enjoying the fact that the show breaks away from the trope of any girl-focused show having an excessive devotion towards romance. So, the awkwardness of repeating the phrase "very special somepony" is a punishment to a writer that says "STOP CENTERING EPISODES ON THIS STUFF"

I'd put up a dartboard, and throw a dart to pick one of the 6 main characters. Then, before the grief settles in, there'd be a revelation about a world between worlds from which that character can still be saved and brought back to life. And then they would all train hard and work up their power levels and cross the dimensional rift and meet talking fairy sidekicks and bad guys who become good guys and have all these intense battles and always battling until finally they find their missing member, but the good news is overshadowed BY...........! ...Well, you'll have to watch all 28 seasons of it to find out! Man, I gotta take up a career as a TV executive.