Cloud Strife

It's a common stereotype, mainly. There is a (false) belief that there has to be a "man" and a "woman" in a relationship. Obviously this doesn't need to be thought of for heterosexual relationships, but in homosexual relationships they're both the same gender so they can't assign that role so easily. Because of that, they make one of them act horrendously butch, and the other girly. This is the same for male/male pairings, too. It fits in with the seme/uke stereotype of (gag) yaoi as well. Never mind the fact that heterosexual relationships don't strictly fit this mold anyway, it's a harmful thing that makes others assume sexual orientations when there's nothing in someone's behavior that would suggest it - even flirting with other genders doesn't disprove that you are, in fact, homosexual. As for the rainbow mane, as stated earlier in the thread it's become a symbol for gay pride because it's supposed to be inclusive of all genders and all sexualities. Rainbows don't necessarily mean gay pride in and of themselves, but coupled with Rainbow's disposition it could be thought of that she was designed as a symbol for that. In reality, though, Lauren herself not only stated that Rainbow's sexuality is never hinted at in this manner and it's pretty rude to assume based on that, but she also said that she would not be tackling a controversial topic such as homosexuality within My Little Pony anyway (which to me is irritating because we need shows to tackle subjects like that, kids shows included, but everyone shies away from it because it's "controversial". It wouldn't be so controversial if people would just talk about it).

I don't have any predictions, but these are my hopes for season five: 1 - I'd like to see more Scootalove. It doesn't need to be episode centric, even just having it referenced or in the background more often would be nice. I liked that it showed up in Flight to the Finish, but I still believe there's more ground to cover with these two. 2 - I'd like more "pairings" of ponies that normally in the series seldom interact, because otherwise their friendships seem...disconnected. Rarity and Rainbow, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy (when it isn't Filli Vanilli...), Pinkie Pie and Rarity, etc. They need some more episodes devoted to them. Rarity and Rainbow especially would be easy given their opposing views on productiveness. 3 - Some more back story for Princess Celestia and Discord. Hay, more Sunbutt in general. We got Luna and Cadence last season. She needs more time to shine. 4 - I liked the earlier hope of more low key slice of life episodes and I agree. Fantastical elements are nice, but they were in there a lot last season and ultimately this is a show about friendship. 5 - I'd like to know what happened to Tirek's friend. He was given a name and everything. Will we see him this season? 6 - I'd like another of the Mane Six to develop a crush aside from Rarity, since I think it would be a good lesson for girls when it comes to romance if it's not just Rarity the entire time. It could be that this crush gets in the way of their friendship in some way through jealousy or what have you and they learn something about the value of listening to what others have to say? Something like that. 7 - Who the hay is Starswirl? Cut the references and start telling. 8 - A return of the reformed Trixie would be nice. Discord came back enough, she needs a turn now. I think that's about it for me aside from reaching ideas that would never in a million years happen due to the state of our society...

Besides the fact that anime just means Japanese cartoon, I'm just plain bothered by the generic anime style applied here in general. More specifically, I'm bothered by the lack of diversity present within the characters that are being presented in "anime" fanart. My dream idea for a humanized or, ech, "anime"-esque spinoff for My Little Pony would take into account their different origins for their races. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash would obviously look and seem drastically different from Applejack and Pinkie Pie, but so too would there be at least minute differences between Applejack and Pinkie Pie due to them growing up in different places (rock farm vs. apple farm) instead of just having the same bodies, faces, and skin colors being reused over and over with the only difference being their hair and clothes. I also thought certain body types could fit certain characters. Pinkie Pie could be slightly chubby due to party food and cake and all that, Applejack could be tall and muscular from her work on the apple farm (or stout and muscular, either works). Fluttershy could be covered very modestly, wearing long clothes that cover her skin a lot, while Rarity could look classy and elegant, with slender build and with long extravagant dresses and make up that makes her eyes pop out and show off just how well she looks. Rainbow Dash, perhaps, could have the build of an athlete, slender but not as muscular as Applejack. I could imagine Twilight Sparkle as being a little chubby too. Maybe having glasses...? I know that's more a stereotype but it does help to convey to the audience what kind of character she is. I don't know. Various ideas tossed in, hah.

I like Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle the most. If I tried to describe why, we'd be here all day, but to sum it up Rainbow Dash is a mmultifaceted and very interesting character to explore and fits under one of my favorite character archetypes, while I relate the most to Twilight Sparkle. For secondary, I chose Scootaloo for, funnily enough, much the same reason I chose her hero.

I don't mean to be that guy who sits here and makes it out like as if you're not allowed to dislike a character and you have to tolerate constant showboating. Everyone is allowed to dislike characters for whatever reasons they have; we're all diverse and I can't expect us all to agree. Rather, with my posts and corrections and references to episodes I can only hope to get you thinking and perhaps seeing the character in a different light. I can see why others aren't especially fond on the grounds of 'she reminds me of highly competitive jocks at school'; by personal experience we can feel a disconnect from these people because we rather like different things. If everyone was the same, this world would be boring, after all! But I appreciate Rainbow Dash personally as a character for all the growth that she's endured and I'll have to admit, jerks with hearts of gold were already an archetype I was inclined to as characters (funnily enough, I like super sweet, timid characters as well - so basically Fluttershy). I think part of that is because it gives me something to talk about and dig deeper in with characters. All of them are three dimensional, but to me some of the Mane Six come off as more what you see is what you get than others, of you catch my drift. Also, I'm going to address an elephant in the room I have insofar made no comment about: Rainbow Dash and her connection to lesbianism. Now, I'm not against the idea (I ship her with girl ponies...I admit it...) but I do believe it's harmful to assume she is just because of her rainbow mane or her attitude in general. Her sexuality (and anyone's, really) is divorced from their behavior and style of dress. They don't correlate in any way. Who knows, though? It would actually be nice if at least one of the Mane Six were homosexual, Rainbow Dash or no. There needs to be more homonormativity in media in general.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. All right, hold your pastel colored horses on this one. For the first, there have been numerous social consequences for her attitude in multiple different episodes. In Dragonshy, her cockiness gets her sent right back into her fellow ponies. In Hurricane Fluttershy (though it's subtle) she scares Fluttershy with her initial brazen "Suck it up, Fluttershy!" which she notices well enough to clean up her attitude. In Lesson Zero, she along with the rest of the Mane Four realize how completely insensitive they'd been to Twilight's worries even though they found them ridiculous. She has, in multiple cases, been the subject of slapstick for her gung-ho behavior. Hay, the whole darn plot of The Mysterious Mare Do Well was about tearing her down for her attitude. Daring Don't allowed her to suffer scathing at the face of her hero due to her lack of decorum toward her, and many a time have the other characters given Rainbow a verbal reprimand for some of her one-liners. In fact, the exact reason Pinkie Pie's behavior in Filli Vanilli is so jarring is because, unlike Rainbow Dash, she doesn't even attempt to show any remorse or growth. Rainbow Dash has done plenty of that in multiple instances. It's also an absolutely incorrect comparison to make with her and Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon. Rainbow makes very blunt and perhaps hurtful comments due to obliviousness of other's feelings at times, but I can easily believe there's no intent to harm anyone and Rainbow has even admitted to and outright apologized for her big headedness, especially in recent episodes (Testing, Testing, 1 2 3 springs immediately to mind) - she has also shown character growth and an increased drive with her moral compass in episodes that don't botch her character (e.g. Wonderbolts Academy). Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon both sit pretty with the record of absolutely zero attempts to apologize or make up for their attitudes (except, notably, when kissing face to Miss Princess Twilight Sparkle Pony) and not only that, but it's definitely canonically proven that all of their actions are not through innocent annoyance, or arrogance, or not realizing the implications their brutal honesty may have, but in an outright attempt to make other ponies feel bad and isolate them for no other reason but to big themselves up. They purposely turn other ponies against the Cutie Mark Crusaders (One Bad Apple), have shown they're not beyond spreading lies or hurting people just because it's fun or gets them good publicity (Ponyville Confidential), will use other ponies to get them better status (Twilight Time), and are not beyond outright mocking a disabled pony just so they can win some flimsy competition they probably aren't even that committed to anyway (Flight to the Finish). Sure Rainbow would sometimes belittle ponies and put them down due to a lack of understanding...in Season One and maybe early Season Two. She has since grown far past that, and the Rainbow from Dragonshy barely resembles the one from Hurricane Fluttershy and the Rainbow from Suited for Success is outright mocked by the new level of sensitivity displayed by the Rainbow in Rarity Takes Manehattan. Rainbow Dash is not a bully. She had some rather rude, perhaps even bully-like things to say back in the past, but by no means would something as small as a "tweak" would reduce her to Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon. Try a huge perversion of her character, at least.

If I was coming off as if I was insisting that you should like her, then I apologize for that. I was only rambling about why I personally like her, and why I think other people might not. Sometimes characters just don't click with you. I'm probably an odd one out in this fandom when I say I don't care much for Ditzy Doo/Derpy Hooves.

Certainly could be possible. There's plenty of world to explore in Equestria; I wouldn't doubt that they could come up with something to fill in that 90 min-2 hour timeslot, not to mention they've had episodes in the past that might've benefited from their plot being expanded (for instance, Magical Mystery Cure). My only issue is that Equestria Girls was written by the same team, so I'd hope that the length of the film wouldn't deter them and make them try to stick by the book or use a typical formula (like Equestria Girls) only to completely drop the ball near the end of it and lose us (like, again, Equestria Girls). They'll need an idea that is concrete and fits that timeslot without it becoming dragged on or lazed out. In other words, I would prefer if the film was in production for as long as...well, other actual films are, instead of rushed out like Equestria Girls likely was.

The funny thing is, Maud Pie works so well as a character specifically because of the universe that she's been placed in. She's supposed to be "boring", that's the point. She marches to her own drum, and it makes her stand out from the zany, colorful other characters. She works perfectly as a foil, especially to Pinkie Pie as she's the zaniest of the Mane Six. As for the episode itself, I liked it. I thought its moral was pretty neat and a nice optimistic spin to the rather depressing alternative route they could've gone with, that "you can't be friends with everybody, some people you just don't click with". As mature of a moral that is, I think I like the one they chose better. It makes it seem like friendship doesn't have to be based on common interests, or people who are similar to you. You can reach out to people from completely different walks of life as long as you have something mutually to talk about - which in their case would be Pinkie Pie.

I think the problem is not that Rainbow Dash is any more flawed than the others of the Mane Six. Honestly, Rarity has been several degrees selfish, Twilight has acted like a righteous know-it-all, Fluttershy has been infuriatingly shy to the point that she won't stand up for herself (in other words, a doormat), Pinkie Pie has been overly peppy and sometimes obnoxiously oblivious in reading the mood, and Applejack's been stubborn and roguish. Their greatest flaws can also come from their strengths; Twilight's obsessing over things going wrong, but her being the most organized; Pinkie Pie craving the attention and happiness of others, but being the best pony to do it; Fluttershy being shy and a doormat, but inversely being kind and not the type to dish out abuse; Rarity being so focused on her craft that she gets lost within it, but being able to create beautiful pieces by her name; Applejack being grounded within her roots and very level-headed, but causing her to not be easily persuaded, and, in the loss of her family, making her the most "adult" of the cast but also the most over-protective; and finally, we come to Rainbow Dash. For her, she is very loyal, but she needs the validity of others' loyalty in return for that, and if she doesn't have it, then it leads to a very crippling blow in her confidence. This is evidenced in both The Mysterious Mare Do Well and Sonic Rainboom; Rarity's participation in the Best Young Fliers' Competition causing a spike within her self-doubt, and in The Mysterious Mare Do Well, a blink-and-you-miss-it moment of her reflecting on how awesome she is, but no one seems to recognize that. The problem, I think, is that many people see Rainbow Dash see her as showboating without quite understanding why she does it. They see her as talking about herself so much because she doesn't value others, which is the common misconception that can be drawn from a bravado that's like hers. People have trouble empathizing with that, so they shut her out in favor of characters who have more obvious complications, such as Fluttershy. But Rainbow Dash is far more complex than the simple word of "she's just a boastful, selfish, egotistical character". Rainbow Dash has demonstrated, through episodes that showcase her weaker moments, that her boasting, while not entirely an act, is exaggerated on purpose - but not for the reason that you would think. She's trying to insert herself into the moment because she wants others to validate her existence, and to feel like that existence is valid she needs to be the best. In other words, Rainbow Dash craves acceptance and others feeling like she's awesome, too. When she doesn't get that, she sinks almost into a depression, because if she's not the best, then maybe she's not good enough. If there's a Mare Do Well out there taking her spotlight, and everyone appreciates her and forgets everything about what Rainbow Dash did, then what does she matter anymore? Some people don't relate as much to Rainbow Dash not because her experiences aren't something that make sense for the people watching My Little Pony, but because they aren't surface-level, even if they have been confirmed canonically. We all know that Fluttershy has crippling social anxiety, and that relateable aspect to her is put right up front. But not often are we shown that Rainbow Dash really does need the acceptance and love from her fellow ponies, because we simply think she has enough love for herself to compensate, which is false. Rainbow Dash thrives on positive attention. She wants to be recognized for the good she does and fears that if she doesn't show off, if she doesn't make herself out to be the best, then she will simply be forgotten. And...to be honest, thanks to episodes like Mare Do Well and others like that, her friends may have some evidence pointing to the fact that they might really be that shallow. It just depends entirely on how you look at it. Many notice the boasting and not about how she honestly loves her friends, despite there being plenty of evidence that she does. Rainbow Dash is not a gentle encourager; she's the type to pep talk instead. But that doesn't mean she's incapable of it. Even when she felt like yelling at Fluttershy in Hurricane Fluttershy, she corrected her tone. In Flight to the Finish, she spoke gently to Scootaloo (even if it was strange that she was flying at the time she was telling the little pegasus pony that she doesn't have to, you know, fly). There are other examples, I just can't think of them immediately, but the point is that Rainbow Dash is capable of learning and setting herself to the tone that her friends need. It also depends on how the writers handle her, as well. Unfortunately, some of them delegate Rainbow Dash to having one-liners that are simply rude or don't really add anything to the plot (I believe that was already pointed out in this thread, too). Not once, though, have I doubted the integrity of Rainbow Dash's loyalty, even with those who say she doesn't match it at all. Being brutally honest is not a disloyal thing to do. She's proven her loyalty, rather, through her lack of giving up on her friends, and making an active effort to be there, even if she isn't the best at it due to her naturally boisterous nature. I find all of the Mane Six are deep characters, and my least favorite, Pinkie Pie, is only there because I relate to her the least. I still like them all, and I think rounding them down to their negative traits only, including Rainbow Dash, is a disservice to all six, and a gross over exaggeration of those traits, at that.