AlbaTross

I think that about sums up my impressions so far, having seen the first six "episodes". Then again, that's consistent with how I feel about the film, so...I guess it's adequate for what it is?

They're fine. I suppose that means they fit perfectly with this series, which is...fine.

Well, to kill some fish, one doesn't need to remove all water. There's a certain quantity they all need to live for any length of time, and a higher quantity needed for them to survive for very long. Perhaps there is a certain threshold of ambient magic that needs to be in the environment in order for beings like Windigoes to live. It's still pretty dark that ponies decided to give up the bulk of their magic to make that happen rather than simply trying to get along, bearing in mind that removing magic from ponies seems to have some not insignificant physiological effects. I agree that they definitely have at least some magic in them even during the events of the film. For one, while half cutie marks (ones on just a single flank) definitely hints at a severe magic deficiency, but even that much requires some magic to even be possible. However, the fact remains that ponies gave up a significant part of themselves, and of future generations of ponies, because that was clearly a more ideal option to them than tolerating the company of the other races.

And the best part of it being set in a universe that's entirely its own would have been that the writers, producers, etc., would have had even more freedom to write the story they wanted to write, because it wouldn't have been tied to anything. I also don't think it was worth the effort in the end, because it doesn't make a ton of sense within the context of FiM once you really analyze it. I believe I brought up a theory in another discussion from some time back that I'm too lazy to look up now, but the gist of it is, the creators of ANG created a world where ponies suffered some kind of tragedy that not only prompted the three pony tribes to separate (along with the other races, presumably), but that when faced with a slow and terrible death at the hands of the Windigoes, the response wasn't "you know, maybe getting along is better than that", but rather, "let's come together and think of a way to work around that, so we never have to speak again". This is the species that would preface every holiday season by bringing up Windigoes and the actions of ponies in the past to reinforce the importance of harmony with one another. I can't imagine whatever events transpired to cause a schism between them was a remotely small matter. Moreover, given how important magic is not only to a pony's being, but from a physiological standpoint as well, the solution ponies arrived at was to sacrifice a part of themselves (and of all future generations of ponies), as that would have been a more favourable option than trying to work things out among themselves. In any case. I'm all for making something lighthearted, if it's good. I get that children's media doesn't have to have appeal beyond its target demographic, and that's fine. Heck, expending too much effort to try and appeal to the greater fandom by being as "lit" as possible probably would have resulted in multiple levels of cringe. However, I very much dislike when people use "it's for kids" as an argument that something that falls into that category is somehow above criticism, and/or that being "for kids" absolves the creators behind something of the need to put effort into their products. FiM proves that good storytelling can bring all manner of people together, whether said story is technically intended for them or not. As for the series to follow ANG, I think it's still on track to be the second best MLP series, if only because the bar for that is pretty low. The film definitely lulls audiences in with its production values, music and other aspects that are good, but ultimately superfluous and tangential to good storytelling IMHO. The Pixar-esque art direction? Well, Pixar doesn't own 3D animation, and that really is only a small part of what makes such a movie good. Heck, Pixar and later, Disney proper, would both release 3D animated movies with stories that are smaller in scale which focus on the importance of overcoming prejudice and/or dealing with issues that form cracks among people, and both are better stories IMHO. Plus, in the case of Encanto, the waifus are better (SNS). The music? Well, Ingram can still write a good tune, but for me there's more to a good MLP track than having a good melody and vocals. I'm all for the film trying to take inspiration from Disney or Pixar, but I just don't think that inspiration was channeled in quite the right way.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees the conflict of this movie as Hearth's Warming 2.0, and I have seen it, twice. I not only hate that it throws out much of what FiM built, but it kind of shoots itself in the foot too by virtue of it not being able to stand alone as it still technically uses FiM for its foundation. I'd take far less issue with it if it was completely unconnected to the previous series, as then it would have just been the pilot to another series. It would still be a lazy Hearth's Warming rehash, albeit with high production values, but at least it would be harmless. Any plot holes that have and will continue to arise from any of the writers not going over the lore of FiM with a fine-tooth comb before insisting on building on it could have easily been avoided if it was just set in a world that's entirely its own. Heck, I have to wonder what the point of tying it to FiM was anyways, as it could have been virtually the exact same movie, just without the throwbacks to the Mane Six, among other things. I'm guessing it's going to be relevant to the show to some capacity, probably as a means to avoid as much effort as possible in world building. On top of all of the above, the stakes of the film aren't very high, the characters are alright but way underdeveloped, and it's just set in a far less cool and interesting world that is very unlikely to allow for a fraction of the creative story setups seen in FiM, even with magic technically returning. I'm still willing to give the new series a chance, but I'm really not expecting much. Ironically, in an attempt to make a much more lighthearted FiM, the staff behind ANG inadvertently created some implications that are at least quite depressing, if not among the darker plot elements seen in FiM and its spinoff media...you know, for kids!

Given what we got with the film...it's unlikely I'm going to keep following new MLP stuff, but it's not going to be a rage quit. I simply do not have high hopes for the latest generation. I will give the new stuff a chance to win me over, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm at a different stage now than I was when I was obsessed with FiM, so that could be part of it too, but yeah, I'm not expecting I'll keep up with MLP stuff too much longer. With that said, I might stick around on the fringe of the fandom, but I'll have to see. Who knows, maybe I'll be surprisingly impressed by the new show when it hits, and drawn back in. I'm just not going in with high hopes as of right now.

Mildly insulting considering FiM never got a full console videogame, and that actually would have lent itself well to one. As it stands, this one is looking pretty meh. I will give the two upcoming shows a shot (however brief if I'm not engaged), but I'll only be checking this out if the shows impress me against all odds.

"Boulder thinks they're too stuck up." Sorry, couldn't resist. My take is that gems aren't currency per se, but they have a general value in currency and can therefore be used in a similar capacity for things like tips and other small transactions.

I'll give both shows a chance. I'm not expecting to enjoy either of them nearly as much as FiM, but I'll give them the opportunity to surprise me first before I definitively decide that G5 isn't my thing.

I keep hearing this, but I must have missed it in the movie. I'm assuming it was subtle. Even if that's truef though, I wasn't just talking about Windigoes (though they are a part of it).

Yeah...all the more reason why linking the two series was pointless. Plot holes are sure to abound, and the fandom will certainly pick up on them, but I doubt corporate cares as long as they can move toys.

How does anyone behind any tinfoil hat conspiracy product know that their product works? In all likelihood, they don't. At best, they make educated guesses based on limited data, and at worst...they're really just in it for the money bruh. In the latter case, they use fear mongering to sell their products, and "R&D" is focused largely on making their product look convincing. Having a CEO or spokesperson who's both articulate and persuasive really helps. In other words, I don't think the Earth Ponies of the latest film are all that different than real life humans, and thus, I can only assume their "inventions" have as much credibility as the tennis balls the Pegasi put on Unicorn horns.

Well, a new generation is upon us and the old one has been mostly phased out by this point. Of course division was inevitable. However, props to this fandom for respecting different points of view and not going WWIII on those who hold opposing views. To say that's more than can be said about some other fandoms would be an understatement, so hats off to MLP fans. I'm not really expecting much from the new generation, and think I'm a FiM/EQG brony through and through, but others seem really excited for G5 and I'm not interested in trying to rain on their parade. In some fandoms my view would probably be considered treason, so I'm glad I can share my opinion here without sending someone into a fit of rage. So, yeah, I'm definitely seeing the division in the MLP fandom, but it's easily the most respectful division I've ever seen, and I hope it stays that way.

If they were truly intelligent, and they noticed the ponies were fighting, they made tracks and forbid ponies from setting foot in their lands, knowing that windigoes don't appear to stray too far from ponies. Sure, the ponies likely took measures such as sealing away their magic to stave off windigoes, but the other races wouldn't have known that. Possibility B: There are a bunch of species of sentient creatures living in post-modern societies who have also lost their magic, and are unaware of the existence of other races. Dragons are known for rage-quitting in online games, and you really don't want to know what happens on griffin forums when a fandom splits. Also, it would be an excuse for future show writers to continually present the same message over and over about overcoming prejudice, thus saving them the need for original story ideas.

I'm going to be real and say that I doubt I'm going to get into this latest generation nearly as much as I got into FiM. However, I doubt FiM is going to come back even if this new series doesn't take off in the same way. I certainly hope the existing episodes are put back on a streaming service, and we get a full release of all the episodes in physical form, but I don't think a new season of the show is in the cards.

Personally, I found it to be a breath of fresh air that FiM didn't have much romance in it, because so many stories have that it's not even funny. I kind of like that it focused more on honest to goodness friendship rather than the other kind of ship, because such ships tend to get a lot of screen time and focus, assuming they don't end up being central to the plot to some capacity. Ha! In G4, unofficial ships abounded in place of regular ones, and there were petty squabbles over who was "best pony". Personally, I think the MLP fandom can become toxic if fans of G4 and G5 can't get along (time will tell). Compared to that, ship culture, which was very much a thing last generation, probably isn't going to be the thing to make or break this fandom. It would have a difficult time coming anywhere close to fandoms such as the Nintendo and Pokemon fandoms for general toxicity anyways. Still, I can see why you wouldn't want one of few fandoms where people seem to more or less get along to descend into anything resembling one of those cesspools. Worry not, shipping is unlikely to be a big worry for MLP. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't be as into it from a story standpoint, as I've stated above.

Given the nature of this franchise, I think Twilight lived out her natural life cycle, however long it was extended by her becoming an Alicorn. Anti-climactic, I know. I do think she died, but probably of old age. My Little Pony can get surprisingly dark at times, but not only does this new franchise seem to be leaning towards the lighter side of things; I've never felt the franchise was the kind of dark where we could infer that Twilight died in some kind of conflict. Conflict clearly did arise though, and there are dark implications of that, which are likely unintentional (as I don't think anyone involved in the film overanalyzed like I have). I think it's possible Twilight died without a successor, or perhaps she did have a successor, and so on, and so forth, but the line ended at some point, and there weren't any more Alicorns left to sit on the throne of Equestria. After that, perhaps ponies couldn't agree on how their species should be governed, and who should be in charge. Before long, certain groups were trying to push certain ponies to fill those shoes, to the chagrin of the rest of them. Long story short, once the dust settled, cracks had formed along racial lines, and the three pony tribes once again separated, though not before they all mutually agreed to work together one last time to seal away their magic, so that they could circumvent the appearance of Windigoes. I'm sure we will learn more about what actually happened, but that about sums up my headcanon for the time being.

Making in-universe sense is effort I would have appreciated. Personally, if I had to come up with an in-universe explanation, I figured it had to do with the magic deficiency everypony experienced as a result of living without the majority of their magic. My headcanon is that magic and pony physiology are inextricable, to the point where it seems unlikely a pony could live without at least a little magic in them, and indeed, even the presence of half-cutie marks confirms that the ponies weren't completely void of magic, as that's a phenomenon that shouldn't otherwise be possible, period. For the real-world reasoning though, I assumed it was simply to cover up the laziness of TY plushies. Now, they're actually movie accurate. Hooray! You can tell that I've always preferred the Olyfactory plushies. Thankfully the new 2D art is out, so that if they start making G5 plushies, they can base them on that.

Don't worry bruh. It seems those involved in the film couldn't make up their mind, so of course we would be confused. I don't know how well that bodes for the upcoming series, but we'll see.

Hmmm...I don't know if I should believe them on that. It would have literally just been an identical mark on the other flank. I figured when watching the movie that it was a calculated design choice to make the TY pushies not look lazy, but if this 2D style with a cutie mark on both flanks ends up being used for the show, they will still look lazy.

So that was a case of laziness on the part of the animators. I mean, it was always that, but I figured half cutie marks were going to be canon now. Way to make one particular aesthetic element in the movie look lazy. It was FiM's job to do that.

All ages, for sure. FiM has appeal that reaches beyond its target demographic.

It's possible. Ponies in the film don't remember why the races separated, but their world doesn't appear war torn. The extreme prejudice they all felt towards one another does suggest something did happen though. Perhaps they split off without any violence, but with no intention of meeting again. Quite frankly, it would probably be difficult to fight a war anyways with the reality of imminent death looming over them. That doesn't necessarily mean they left on good terms though. They probably just wanted to live in peace, away from one another, but that's still depressing. I mean, another way to keep Windigoes (and other magical beings that feed on disharmony) away would have been to just get along. That they didn't choose that option says a lot. Hmmm...it would be interesting if the Tree of Harmony sealed away magic in the environment to save the ponies. It's uncertain if that's what actually happened, but something did remove magic. Actually, the Earth Pony at the end of the film seemed to reawaken magic in the ground, suggesting that it wasn't actually removed so much as rendered dormant. That it took an Earth Pony to do it also suggests that the planet may have some connection with Earth Ponies, the severing of which had some effect on the surrounding environment. Of course Earth Ponies aren't responsible for all ambient magic in nature, but maybe they helped circulate it or something, or added a little extra to it. It does seem likely that the ponies decided to split off before sealing their magic. It's possible some delegates from each of the tribes did it without telling the rest of their respective races. Twilight and the Mane Six having something to do with the sealing away of magic would be very interesting. It's interesting that such a station is still standing. That implies that the schism is much more recent than is immediately apparent. On the other hand, that nopony alive seems to know what happened, and that there aren't much in the way of records suggests that a significant amount of time has in fact elapsed. Well, that and really poor record keeping on the part of all three races.

Given that the world of FiM had to end in order to make way for the process that would eventually lead to the world presented in ANG, there is definitely room for discussion on the topic of implications. Regardless of whether the show ends up answering all our questions or not, there's room for all manner of fan theories and headcanons in the meantime. So, feel free to share your theories on what happened. There isn't a lot that we know, but it's probably worth going over the evidence anyways: The three pony races live separately from one another leading up to the events of the film. The other races are nowhere to be seen. Pony magic is contained within a three-piece crystal artifact, with somepony from each race having possession of one of the three parts. The world is otherwise calm during the events of the film. All of the above has its share of implications. The three pony races obviously split off from one another, which heavily implies conflict of some kind. Of course, the ponies living apart from one another, but in otherwise well-developed kingdoms that function like typical post-modern societies obviously means they were able to rebuild, thus implying the world pf Equestria wasn't irreparably destroyed. It's also worth noting that the three pony races clearly lived through whatever conflict they may have had or they wouldn't be around anymore. The absence of the other races doesn't necessarily mean they died off. Perhaps they also went their separate ways. We actually have even less information on this point to base any kind of inference off of. All we can say for certain is they are not by where the pony settlements are, nor are they in the space between the three settlements that Sunny and her friends traversed. The very existence of the crystal artifact implies the sealing away of pony magic was in fact intentional, and was a mutually agreed upon act by all three races. That each race has possession of one of the parts further supports this notion. That two of the three races were very negligent with theirs to the point that their descendants forgot they so much as had any significance, and even the Pegasi, who actually did treat their part of the artifact with proper reverence forgot why it was important to them implies that a great deal of time has elapsed, and there was poor record keeping. However, it does all make sense to some extent. If ponies had no intention of ever reconciling, I could see some groups not caring if their part of a shared artifact ended up in the bottom of the ocean, let alone whether it's stored in a safe and respectful manner, but I could also see a group treating theirs like a royal heirloom that does need protecting. The world as of the events of the film appears fairly empty. Perhaps that will change when the show finally hits, but for now all that can be assumed is that there's nature between the three pony settlements and that's it. Of course, the very existence of said nature, along with the existence of life in general and having a day/night cycle also indicate none of the above depend on ponies. Given what we know and the implications that entails, it seems likely that something cataclysmic happened that forced ponies to give up their magic. Windigoes could be that thing, as they're supposed to block the sun and freeze the planet in an eternal winter, effectively killing off ponies throw freezing and starvation. That they didn't suggests that the ponies did something to make that not so. Giving up their magic isn't something they would do lightly for a variety of reasons. Ironically, I think the three races had to work together to circumvent the threat of imminent death, even with every intention of parting ways afterwards. They must have really hated one another to choose to give up their magic instead of trying to work things out. My headcanon is that ponies still had some magic. Half-cutie marks imply a major magic deficiency, but even that shouldn't be possible without some magic. Come to think of it, most coat and mane colours shouldn't be either. As for the other races, well, Windigoes seem to follow ponies specifically. It's unknown what their radius is, but they seem to only venture so far away from ponies. I think the most practical decision a leader of a race could make would be to get as far the heck away from the source of something like Windigoes as possible, and make it clear the species that attracts them isn't welcome within a certain distance of their lands. There's a good chance the other races didn't die off, but just decided to stay clear of ponies. The world itself may have also had some of its magic removed. Windigoes are magical beings, so of course cutting off their life source would be crucial to defeating them. On the other hand, life in this new Equestria goes on. Heck, the sun and moon either move on their own or somecreature else is controlling them (we really don't know which). For my ideas on why the ponies started hating one another, I think some external force is to blame, likely an antagonist or antagonists of source. First and foremost on my list are Tirek, Chryssy and Cozy Glow, if they were to get unpetrified at a time when the Mane Six and others weren't around to stop them. They did almost cause such disharmony in a remarkably short time span in Season 9. Sirens are also a possibility, though I have my doubts about that. Anyways, what do you all think? I'm curious to know what other theories there are on the subject.

Is the term post-post apocalyptic a thing? I personally think it needs to be given how many stories go the route of depicting a world that has apparently been destroyed, but subsequently rebuilt and takes place at a time when things have gotten much better. Ironically, in trying to make things more lighthearted for kids, the implications rival the darkest FiM has to offer. Actually, speculating what happened probably demands its own thread. Ok, I'm off to create that.