Are we ungrateful and expecting too much from MLP?

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Ehhhhh. Personally, I think this is the case for most of the fandom. And I find it kind of sad, really. Front the very first episode, when Derpy first appeared, Bronies saw her, loved her odd derp-eyed appearance, and wanted more of her. DHX obliged and snuck her into more background scenes; eventually bringing her more to the foreground, not only to interact with Rainbow Dash, but to give her a voice! Hasbro also canonized headcanons by giving her the name “Muffins” in their merchandise, after fans became convincesd that Derpy was obsessed with Muffins, from a line that they assumed was hers, in 'Applebuck season'.

 

When fans started making headcanon comparison that Time Turner was Dr Who, again, DHX obliged and gave the fans more of him; canonizing the fans headcanons by giving him the Name of Dr Hooves, in his merchandise. The company/ studio catered to headcanons again with Bon Bon and Lyra being unusually close, in more background scenes. They went so far as to make the entire Rainbow Rocks movie Brony community shoutouts, even including the fan-favorite meme of RD using her 20% line again. Once more, they made a love letter to the Bronies in the hundredth episode of the series. The fans continue to ask, and Hasbro/ DHX delivers. The Bronies have had their way for quite some time, clearly influencing the show and its spinoff- movies.

 

But is the fandom asking for too much? Are they grateful for all that they've been given; all the nods and tributes to them across the comics, across the series, across the movies? Or are they constantly wanting more, as soon as they get what they want? I find that the fandom may be getting a bit greedy, personally. Especially with the issue of Vinyl Scratch getting a voice. It's not enough that Derpy got her voice back. It's not enough that their favorite background characters continue to pop up more prominently in the foreground from time to time, or that they have voices of their own, now. Not enough that for years, DHX has delivered on the background characters and headcanons. Not enough to have not one, but two love letters thrown their way in a major way. Not enough to know just how much they've influences this current gen of MLP. But they still cry for Vinyl, that one last “secondary six” background pony to have a voice, likely losing that trait that makes her all the more unique in a world of already talking ponies- wanting more than what they've already been given. It's not just sad, but the greed and entitlement is just downright disgusting, to me.

 

Especially considering that the staff never had to give as much as they have to the Bronies, to begin with.

 

Why can't we be satisfied with what we have, and allow the staff to take the reigns on their own artistic freedoms, again?

[Grepper 3,193]

I think fans would be more disappointed if Vinyl got a voice that didn't sound like Nowacking's. It's probably better that she was silent.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Greppertas

[ManaMinori 4,149]

I think fans would be more disappointed if Vinyl got a voice that didn't sound like Nowacking's. It's probably better that she was silent.

therein lies the problem with setting up headcanons and being unable to accept anything outside of them. -sigh- It feels like the fans ask, half the time, and don't really know what they want. Yes, Vinyl could have a voice, but will she still feel as unique as she does, now, without one? Yes, Derpy could be put in the foreground again, but will fans allow the writers to show her with anything besides muffins? Or friends with somepony other than Dr Hooves? The fans are expecting too much to be handed to them through the show, when they've already gotten a boatload of nods and love-letters from DHX/ Hasbro. Sometimes, it's best just to leave things in the writers' hands; give up that deathgrip they have on trying to push for more and more for the background characters in canon, before something gets done that somebody doesn't like (and it will, because it's impossible to please everyone).

[Velcorn 279]

To be honest, fan-service ruins really good shows... I hate when fans get their way especially because it won't please everyone anyway; there will always be people disliking whatever gets produced.

 

I actually appreciate series or movies that go against what people might ask for or find enjoyable... I've really come to like cliffhangers and unhappy endings which has nothing to do with MLP in general but it certainly is boring to always get what you want or hope for in a show...

[[NULL] 907]

I don't think ungrateful is the correct term. Many fans are afraid of something being altered in the fantasy world which they constructed for themselves. That's one of the reasons why I thought Bon-Bon being a secret agent was hilarious, whether or not it was actually intended to spite those kinds of fans.

 

And no, fans are not expecting "too much". In many cases, they don't know what they want. Many fans tend to take things such as fanservice or pop culture references at face value, believing that they're always bad by default, regardless of whether or not the episode still works on its own.

[silvadel 1,393]

How about fans are invested and have high expectations based on a history of the show meeting them?

[Steel Accord 6,660]

 

 

Why can't we be satisfied with what we have, and allow the staff to take the reigns on their own artistic freedoms, again?

 

Uhhh when did we steal it? Silver Quill's not bursting into DHX, holding a gun to their heads and telling them to put more Derpy in.

 

To answer your actual question I would agree to a large extent but not in the way you think. After seeing such a vocal minority damn Slice of Life for featuring such fandom nods I think there is a fair amount of gratitude owed to the creators for that. Gratitude I gladly pay them.

 

I am, and have always been fine, with whatever decision the writer's make. They know what they are doing. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,202]

I wouldn't say 'we' in this case, because in feel like most of the fandom is becoming more and more chill with the writer's decisions, probably because many lately are awesome. :3 Though I did notice with Slice of Life, some people that I seen on the internet seemed ungrateful to me. Completely criticizing and ripping the episode apart when the whole thing was basically a huge fan tribute, I feel like something so blatantly obvious should be appreciated at least a little bit, but a few bronies that I saw couldn't stand the episode. It's all a matter of opinion, of course, but even I will acknowledge that the episode had no structure whatsoever but it was still one of my favorites of all time and I respect DHX and Hasbro even more now.

 

Honestly I do think that some don't give these companies enough credit. It's not as bad now, but there are people who will just criticize the ever living stuff out of the choices that Hasbro and DHX make, when lately they've done so much good. It's like how some people were a little upset by Derpy never being addressed by a name in Slice of Life. The thing is, they never had to out her back in the show at all after the controversy happened. Hasbro could have said 'nope', never again, but instead we got her AND her being a huge point in an episode! With Doctor Whooves! I love that episode so much.

 

In short, this is all just my opinion on this subject. I would say some bronies are a bit ungrateful, but most aren't.

[Ninja(Pinkie)Midget 180]

Personally, I've always considered myself to be just along for the ride. I've watched 4 seasons, now into the fifth season and, while I'm not crazy about any episode this season up until this last episode (which was awesome!), I look forward to seeing where the characters go from here.  I very much believe that the people who create this show are the ones who should get the final say in where it goes.  That they have embraced the brony community is just icing on the cake.  One thing I love is not knowing where a story will go.  I try not to form opinions about where a character should go.  That's the place of the creators of this show.  They've moved it along this far and I'm ok with following along and being entertained.

[cider float 2,539]

I could care less if they made a shout out or whatever to bronies. It's really the bronies that want some kind of response from them on their behalf of watching a show that care about it. I just like what they have been putting out.

[Jaxsie (Inactive) 1,343]

Oh yes, I feel that some bronies are ungrateful. I wouldn't say they are greedy, but expecting to much? -- yes. I personally didn't like the 100th episode a whole lot but I do realize that it's a shout out to the fandom and that in and of itself is really neat. On the same token, I don't really fancy a lot of fan service and that episode had a lot of it. I think, though, that it's a good idea on Hasbro's part to include bronies in the show, but only to a certain degree. I don't want the whines and cries of ungrateful bronies to sway what Hasbro and the team do creatively. Which I feel is the case -- even if slightly. There is a fine line between pleasing the crowd and being unique and true to your art. So far, I think the balance is being maintained; but honestly, I hope Hasbro doesn't give bronies anymore room. And I really hope that we don't have too many episodes like the 100th because it misses a creative edge. But don't take that the wrong way, I understand it's a love letter -- which is cool -- but if you send love letters every day then it will get ingenuous and creepy, lol.

Edited June 17, 2015 by RainbowJaxs16

[The Awesome One 1,315]

I was thinking of making a topic about this.

 

 

I say yes. For some reason we keep forgetting that although we do get shout-outs and acknowledgements from the people who work on this show, it remains a show for little kids and the expectations we have from it are just too high. 

 

Recently people on this fandom have gotten fussy over small details about the plot or they expect amazing character development from a show meant for little girls.

[Argumedies 1,748]

Oh for what to say on this subject.

 

I dont mind a bit of pandering, they do go a little overboard sometimes. But, that said, we as fans tend to forget that this is not the normal for a company like Hasbro to reach out to it fans and acknowledge them within their product.

 

Most companies at best downright ignore its fan base altogether. Some even go out of their was to not just shut down fan service but have brought legal actions to those individuals who've used their product in ways most Bronys take for granted today.

 

I feel that we as fans should be more appreciatabl when companies like Hasbro to reach out to their fans and i say this as a reminder that these are un-charted waters for them as well. So when they toss us a chunk of fan content, we shouldnt go after them like sharks in a feeding frenzy, least we forget what a real Rarity we have.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Yes, some bronies are spoiled brats. Other fandoms would kill to have an episode that recognizes them and their content and you know, a year or two ago we would have been the same. But now some people seem to take this show so seriously that anything in it that isn't "deep" or innovative or epic seems to get an automatic wave of disapproval from some vocal minorities.

 

There seems to be a sense of entitlement in this fandom. Did any of you ever consider that maybe the staff make episodes like the 100th episode for themselves as well? As a creator, I feel switching up your content is incredibly inspiring and liberating. I imagine the MLP staff got a similar sense of satisfaction from being able to make this episode.

Edited June 17, 2015 by LZRD WZRD

[Dark Qiviut 22,588]

The idea that any portion of the brony fandom is "ungrateful," "spoiled," "entitled," or "expecting too much" enforces the vile hugbox attitude. This show is good, and part of what makes it good is the ability to connect themselves into the stories via characters that they can connect to. At the same time, this staff doesn't always pump out the best choices or best executions. There are reasons why plenty critiqued Slice of Life. The pacing isn't as sharp as it could've been, because a lot of the sideplot and some of the main plot are exposited. The fanservice can be a disconnect to people who either don't care about the fanon or are unfamiliar; you really need to get the references to understand the majority of jokes, and some of them like the Twilicane are pointless.

 

For some reason we keep forgetting that although we do get shout-outs and acknowledgements from the people who work on this show, it remains a show for little kids and the expectations we have from it are just too high.

Correction. The majority of the expectations and standards in this show come from and start with the staff itself. They know they can put a good quality product that branches out beyond just kids. "Good" doesn't have one set demographic, and FIM is no exception. Many of us have high expectations because we know they can deliver it very well. DHX and Hasbro know that the older brony fandom is extremely impactful beyond merely financially growing the $650-million brand; Hasbro pitched the concept of Slice of Life and pushed forward of referencing both common fanon and fandom references to DHX sometime last year.

 

So what happens when a low-quality episode is published? You can't blame the bronies for this, for that's scapegoating. The blame is placed on both DHX and Hasbro for not delivering well.

 

Recently people on this fandom have gotten fussy over small details about the plot or they expect amazing character development from a show meant for little girls.

You're objectively wrong here. Friendship Is Magic isn't a little girls' show. It's a show meant for all ages regardless of sex. We're not just talking about little girls. Little boys, older girls, older boys, adults, and everyone in between. It's a unisex show.

 

Moreover, FIM has trumped the stereotype that it can't produce high-quality storytelling through several episodes: Suited for Success, The Best Night Ever, Lesson Zero, Sleepless in Ponyville, Flight to the Finish, The Cutie Map, and even Slice of Life. There's more than the surface content in FIM to review through. The little details underneath can also make or break the story.

Edited June 17, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Time Shield 405]

I could care less

That means you do care

At least a little

 

[/cheesesandwich]

 

Joking aside, I like the discovery aspect of any story, finding out what's going to happen. If everything is going to go exactly the way I want it to, then what's even the point of watching or reading the story? So just because something doesn't go the way I expected, that's almost better. I'm ultimately happier knowing the truth than trying to guess it, and I'm not disappointed if my guess was wrong.

 

Bottom line: anyone who treats headcanon as fact needs to seriously fix that before interacting with people in the real world. At least I HOPE they don't make preconceptions about people they meet, and then get upset if those preconceptions are wrong and cling to them anyway...

[Calcomania 43]

sorry had to post.  @Time Shield  haha  I always notice things like people saying they "could care less"  I think they really meant "Couldn't care less"  love that being said they actually do care a little I believe everyone in this Fandom cares (be it a little or a lot) regardless of them wanting to admit it.

 

As far as feedback for the last episode.   Personally.   I appreciate it.   For background Ponies (not OCs)  I do not mind at all if the voice of some pony ended up not being what I wanted, or if the behaviors did not match that which I learned through fanfic or whatnot.  In the end it's the creator's decision what kind of personality or voice somepony would have,  AND this is not to say that us fans can't still have our own versions of said Pony.   There really is no difference,   I say smile, take anything you do not like with a bit of saltlick)  and be happy that in the end, the fandom even exists and is being accepted by the creators    also, my apologies that my first post happens to be about an episode somepony might have found partially controversial or whatnot.  

[cider float 2,539]

That means you do care

At least a little

 

[/cheesesandwich]

 

Joking aside, I like the discovery aspect of any story, finding out what's going to happen. If everything is going to go exactly the way I want it to, then what's even the point of watching or reading the story? So just because something doesn't go the way I expected, that's almost better. I'm ultimately happier knowing the truth than trying to guess it, and I'm not disappointed if my guess was wrong.

 

Bottom line: anyone who treats headcanon as fact needs to seriously fix that before interacting with people in the real world. At least I HOPE they don't make preconceptions about people they meet, and then get upset if those preconceptions are wrong and cling to them anyway...

I do not have headcanon or fanon on background ponies... you can check all my posts to see if I did care about them prior.

 

I do have headcanon on the central characters but I don't care what they do with them.

Edited June 18, 2015 by cider float

[Revy 184]

Thumbs up too the OP! Gotta agree with ya that theres way too much overexpectation, the beauty about the show at least in my opinion is its simple, cute, easy too watch, easy too follow, well voice acted and great character designs, I have seen some crazzzzzy overanalyzing of the show and alot of people whining about cannon this, cannon that, seriously just watch the freakin' show  UwU

[yeet 2,027]

The majority of the fandom are usually just like "this is pretty good. The guys who makes this are acknowledging our support for them, we should probably think of a way to thank them." Or something similar. There'd be the minority who don't really care about fan service, and then there are those that are just ungrateful, and those that would critisise there own birth.

There's also those of us that are like "this is pretty fucking chill. We need more of this kinda shit with random shit happening."

[Time Shield 405]

I do not have headcanon or fanon on background ponies... you can check all my posts to see if I did care about them prior.

 

I do have headcanon on the central characters but I don't care what they do with them.

Sorry, I meant that more as a general statement, not aimed at you specifically. I only quoted you because of the "I could care less" statement, so I could reply with some lines from a Weird Al song ("Word Crimes").

[Alto 437]

some people are just expecting too much from a show whose main demographic is for little kids

[Violet_S 785]

Well in my opinion, the fans need to learn the difference between fanmade stuff and the actual show, yes the show has given us a bunch of things that we have asked for but we also need to give them a chance to express themselves and show us how good they can be without us asking more of it. I mean, they have showed us how good they can be, they created the show that we all love in the first place. i agree with you completely on this one and i feel the exact same way and to be honest, i dont have a single episode that i dislike, they are all great (including the movies)..

[Steve Piranha 29,495]

The brony fandom has higher expectations than the target audience naturally, but we have to tone it down, this is not Avatar

[Alto 437]

The brony fandom has higher expectations than the target audience naturally, but we have to tone it down, this is not Avatar

exactly! finally someone who gets it

bronies do have an higher expectation and have a more mature taste than the kids

thus pleasing adults and kids alike would be difficult