Is high status making the Mane Six less relatable?

[Buck Testa 5,505]

I apologize but I quoted a different person. You may however dispute my statement anyway and I shall respond to it.

What I mean is I'm not saying a persons ability to empathize with a character is limited. Empathy is exactly what I've been talking about this entire time. 

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

What I mean is I'm not saying a persons ability to empathize with a character is limited. Empathy is exactly what I've been talking about this entire time.

Okay. I also feel that the relationship between the main ponies and the rest of Ponyville had also not suffered any reduction of friendly relations merely as a result of the castle and such. None of it had any effect really.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

Okay. I also feel that the relationship between the main ponies and the rest of Ponyville had also not suffered any reduction of friendly relations merely as a result of the castle and such. None of it had any effect really.

Inside ponyville there hasn't been much change besides the townsfolk getting more flippant with the friendship problems and monster attacks, which is rather amusing. They are like new yorkers at this point.

 

OUTSIDE of ponyville Twilight is treated a lot different though, especially in places like Canterlot. 

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

OUTSIDE of ponyville Twilight is treated a lot different though, especially in places like Canterlot.

How? They don't bow or seem to even address her as royalty, notwithstanding some plot related scenes which doesn't indicate a general sense of respect. Again, ponies were impudent enough to shush her as if they were equal.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

How? They don't bow or seem to even address her as royalty, notwithstanding some plot related scenes which doesn't indicate a general sense of respect. Again, ponies were impudent enough to shush her as if they were equal.

That's a pretty good point, she doesn't seem to have as much weight as the other princesses just yet, but changes have been happening, especially in the aforementioned plot related scenes

[Zerbu 72]

Okay, so some people have pointed out that not much has changed about the characters themselves. However, analyzing season 5, there hasn't been much of your typical friendship lessons focusing on the Mane Six. Every episode so far has either been about their status, focused only on the Mane Six themselves without outside interaction, focused on characters other than the Mane Six or focused on a topic other than friendship.

 

I'm going to skip "The Cutie Map" as it's only natural that a two-parter would focus on such a major event, so I'll start with Castle Sweet Castle:

 

Castle Sweet Castle - The focus was mainly on the Mane Six themselves and not on the interaction with the outside world.

Bloom and Gloom - The focus was on the Cutie Mark Crusaders, mainly Apple Bloom.

Tanks for the Memories - The focus was on hibernation, which wasn't related to friendship. Rainbow Dash wasn't shown interacting with other ponies, even though she usually would be during season changes.

Appleoosa's Most Wanted - The focus was on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The way Applejack was treated by other ponies wasn't much different, but it wasn't major enough to subvert the idea that her status has changed the way she's perceived either. Her main experiences in the episode weren't related to friendship or any kind of non-family-related social interaction.

Make New Friends But Keep Discord - The main focus was on Discord, Fluttershy was more or less just a plot point in this episode, and even if you don't see it that way, it still does nothing to subvert what I'm talking about. Also worth noting is how being invited to the Grand Galloping Gala was treated as "normal" for them rather than a big deal. I guess you could justify it considering they've been before, and the gala is known to be terrible.

The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone - We finally get a "friendship" lesson that focuses on the Mane Six (well, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash) but the focus is on their role as spreaders of friendship, rather than experiencing the problems first hand.

Slice of Life - N/A

Princess Spike - The focus was on Spike, and actually emphasized how Twilight is treated for her status. Not as bad as all of the characters being over glorified, I guess...

Party Pooped - The focus was on the relationships between two lands, rather than your typical, everyday friendship lesson. Pinkie wasn't explicitly treated differently for her status, but it doesn't subvert the idea either.

Amending Fences - This episode features a typical friendship lesson that focuses on Twilight, but the fact that she's a princess is considered a big deal.

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep - Focuses on a disaster that's not so much related to friendship.

 

As you can see, so far we haven't had any episodes in season 5 focusing on the Mane Six that are about casual social interaction in a way that doesn't related to status.

 

(Whew, long post)

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

The Mane Six's status as whatever the heck they are hasn't really impacted the story at all, any more than it did when they were saving people from Discord or Nightmare Moon or whoever. Their having thrones in a ginormous castle playset doesn't seem to have been been a major departure from the old days of when they had magic necklaces. So nah, not a problem for me.

 

The only one whose status has any impact on the show right now is Twilight, and YMMV about whether it makes her less relatable. I personally connect to her better than ever most of the time, but still don't quite feel comfortable on the rare occasions when she's treated as a wise authority figure.

[Skyling 14]

In the end, it's not like it really matters whether they have that six-chaired "throne room" inside Twilight's castle or not, nor does it indicate anything aside from their bond as the bearers of the elements - the castle sprouted from the ground thanks to a magical tree. And it's not like the tree has some sort of actual authority in Equestria or has a say in its governnance.

 

Equestria is ruled by Celestia, so it's entirely up to her if she wants to share that authority, and her decision whom to share it with. The tree and whatever castles it grows doesn't really enter in to the equation. Twilight is a princess, and was one long before the castle even existed, because Celestia decreed it so. The other five have no official positions of power, because no ruling body of Equestria has given them one.

[chirox the pony 1,336]

Well no it hasn't, Twilight really hasn't gone up in status, at least in terms of how others act around her, again the show would be the exact same of the princess change never happened, so no she's not any less relatable. 

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

I kind of feel they're put on a pedestal, and don't have any episodes with the other ponies of Ponyville, like the CMC or Zecora

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Not really. Apart from Twilight, none of the mane six have any authority, or get the time of day from other ponies.

Dash is still just a weather pony in a no-name town, AJ's a farm horse, Rarity isn't even that well known despite making fashion for famous ponies....

[CoconutCola 48]

They were always really "Detached from relatability" in the sense of status, with them being the saviors of Equestria and all, but they still had their normal pony lives in Ponyville, and that's still an aspect of the show. So no, they're not any less relatable than they already were.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

Even though my family is from nobility, I don't care about status, nor I think it makes them any less relatable. More like a pain in the butt to deal with all that much trouble, personally speaking.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

As long as the morals and roles the ponies have in the individual episodes portray a grounded sense of reality and logic in spite of the world the show is set in and continue to portray them in situations we can relate to real life (itself the very essence of our connections to these characters, hence "relatability"), their rise in status doesn't affect who they are as characters. Only when it directly influences a character's role (as it has done to Twilight in "The Crystal Empire" and "Twilight's Kingdom") to the point where they are heaped with undue rewards and/or unnecessary responsibilities as a result of plot convenience does it become an issue. To that point, the character becomes more of a sort of wish-fulfillment rather than grounded in any kind of logical progression, thus drawing the "Mary Sue" criticism.

[Cwanky 17,602]

Actually only twilight is a ruler. The Mane 6 are just her friends still. If they were all rulers they would be alicorns. 

The Mane 6 are definitely more than "just Twilight's friends," especially considering they're Elements of Harmony. Besides they get their own seats in Twilight's castle.

 

 

Sir Lancelot was not king of Canterlot Camelot. But he was certainly more than "just King Arthur's knight."

Edited August 1, 2015 by Cwanky