GuyNamedEarl 1,332 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 If spike wandered into the Ever free Forest one day and never returned, I wouldn't be too upset. (If you can't tell, I'm not the biggest fan of him). Creator of MLP Ruined Vines and Recorder Sh*t Equestria's Biggest Hip-Hop Nerd Everyday is Leg Day! Follow me on Twitter: @EarlBrony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 14, 2015 Author Share August 14, 2015 If spike wandered into the Ever free Forest one day and never returned, I wouldn't be too upset. (If you can't tell, I'm not the biggest fan of him). Then I guess he's not popular with fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat-kun 2,532 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 Spike grows a pair (of wings), says something clever & snarky, then joins the great dragon migration to the faraway lands that loom in the vast and strange Unknown. A season later, he comes back as a hardboiled dragon badass with his very own treasure hoard, marries fair Rarity, and they all live happily ever after. -A story by Spike the Dragon Spike gets a job, Spike screws up, Spike relearns a shoddy lesson, background ponies are awesome. -A story by a random MLP writer Spike gets a job, Spike screws up, Spike realizes his mistakes and gets shit done, Spike finally figures out what he wants to do as his own dragon (to help and protect his treasure=friends) and grows a pair of wings, fandom blames Larson. -A story by Goat-kun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 (edited) I can understand fans that don't like him. What I don't get is why a lot of those fans want to basically kill him off. Like if he left to join the dragon migration then yeah fine but why would you kill off an innocent character for no reason in a show target towards little girls? Edited August 14, 2015 by Rocky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 14, 2015 Author Share August 14, 2015 But Spike hasn't had any development. Even Discord is more developed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 If anything, I have plenty of fanfics I've read where Spike is developed well and same with the Nightmare Rarity comic. Better than nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 14, 2015 Author Share August 14, 2015 If anything, I have plenty of fanfics I've read where Spike is developed well and same with the Nightmare Rarity comic. Better than nothing. I mean in the show. Like I said, even Discord is more developed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 I mean in the show. Like I said, even Discord is more developed. I know. I'm just saying if he never does get developed in the show, there are 3rd party sources where he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowerHearts 66 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 i think they need to flush out his background and story and character yay~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 14, 2015 Author Share August 14, 2015 If they still haven't developed him in five seasons, why should I believe that they'll ever be able to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowerHearts 66 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 we don't even know what type of dragon he is if he had parents or even how the princess got his egg or why his egg was the test for Twilight to take. if they do that. i mean Spike is nice and he need more to build on his character. yay~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 In the end, the show isn't about him. The focus is one the mane six. As well as it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowerHearts 66 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 i agree. i just think he could be a good part of the show. yay~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyNamedEarl 1,332 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 But Spike hasn't had any development. Even Discord is more developed. Spike does have development it's just that it sucks and pushes him back as a character. Creator of MLP Ruined Vines and Recorder Sh*t Equestria's Biggest Hip-Hop Nerd Everyday is Leg Day! Follow me on Twitter: @EarlBrony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 14, 2015 Author Share August 14, 2015 Spike does have development it's just that it sucks and pushes him back as a character. Why does it push him back? What development has he had? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowerHearts 66 August 14, 2015 Share August 14, 2015 there was that one where he got big due to greed but learned from it. yay~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyNamedEarl 1,332 August 15, 2015 Share August 15, 2015 Well like the Princess Spike episode and the power ponies, where they essentially created a world just for spike to feel useful, and it had no effect on the world except for the mane six and spike Creator of MLP Ruined Vines and Recorder Sh*t Equestria's Biggest Hip-Hop Nerd Everyday is Leg Day! Follow me on Twitter: @EarlBrony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 15, 2015 Share August 15, 2015 What do we ultimately want out of Spike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 15, 2015 Author Share August 15, 2015 What do we ultimately want out of Spike? I want him to have at least one good episode this season or next, and have some development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 15, 2015 Share August 15, 2015 I want him to have at least one good episode this season or next, and have some development.Right but development in what way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastletonSnob 3,096 August 15, 2015 Author Share August 15, 2015 Right but development in what way? Development that sticks. He shouldn't keep learning the same lessons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky 68 August 15, 2015 Share August 15, 2015 The one lesson I wish they could have taught to Spike is not to worry about what happens to him when he gets older since he's a dragon in a world full of ponies. But they can't really do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orablanco Account 3,708 August 15, 2015 Share August 15, 2015 Love the little guy. Doesn't always get the respect he deserves from the writers, but he's pretty great when used right. Cathy Weseluck is the most underrated VA on the show, and I always like it when the shows draws on his personal quest to find a place in the world as the child of two completely separate worlds. "Equestria Games" is great as is, I tell ya w'hat. 2 Onwards to my DeviantArt page! Sig by the illustrious Kyoshi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truffles 2,033 August 16, 2015 Share August 16, 2015 Cathy Weseluck is the most underrated VA on the show, Amen to that! IMO Spike should get his own solo just so I can hear her sing. What we've heard so far during his brief singing moments sounded great. Back to the main topic, yes I like Spike, he's the character with the most potential yet it never gets used. For example: We learned he has abandonment issues back in S1 with Owlicious and S3 when under Sombra's spell. What is the origin of this fear? Explore that! We still don't know how he was acquired nor who his parents are. How about an episode about that? Heck, they could do a whole season's arc on just this topic alone! His relationship with Rarity is still somewhat blurred. He got friendzoned in Inspiration Manifestation in a passively written way but still clearly has strong feelings for her in S5. Yet it's left unanswered like a big white elephant in the room. Maybe have an episode where he pushes it too far and gets hurt? Maybe that hurt between them lasts a few episodes, making things awkward before they patch things up and just become friends? Bring up the other white elephant in the room that dragons live a lot longer than ponies, take 100 year naps where almost everypony he knows when he goes to sleep likely won't be around when he wakes up, and have a lesson revolving around that. This season we just got RD dealing with loss and Luna "cutting" herself, so having Spike deal with a heavy issue like this seems fair game now. (Actually, this ties in nicely with his apparent abandonment issues, so here's another way to explore that topic as well!) How about filling in the blanks on MLP dragon lore in general and involving Spike in on that process? So far all we know is 1) teenage dragons are jerks and 2) dragons are generally greedy and 3) they take really long naps. Is that all there is? No wise dragons like are found in other lore? When do they get wings? Is Spike small because he's not greedy or will he grow up someday anyway? Is there a history between ponies and dragons (peace? war?) besides them watching them migrate? These are all questions that could be explored, and it's unfortunate we now know less about the species of one of the main characters compared to griffons. How about an in-depth exploration of Spike's various talents? We know he can send messages, we know he can cook, can play certain instruments. It doesn't have to be an episode dedicated to this, but learning more about where he learned all these things would help develop his character. As for the Spike-centric episodes that seem to get complaints, let's take a look at what went right and what went wrong: Owl's Well That Ends Well - Spike is OK here, but the episode could have explained why he fears abandonment so much. It hurts to see how Spike's treated in this episode, and the episode is sabotaged by Twilight's poor characterization. Secret of My Excess - This is a great Spike episode, except for the stiff, lackluster animation they did for his adolescent greed form. Dragon Quest - Nothing wrong with Spike in this episode, and he actually turns out to be a pretty awesome dragon that knows right from wrong and stands up to the other dragons. It's only flaw is the one-dimensionality of the other dragons in general, and despite the Mane 6 being his closest friends they don't seem to have a clue their words are hurting him at the beginning. Spike at Your Service - Ugh, a cliche premise that would have still made for a weak episode even if another character had been used instead of Spike. (e.g., imagine Pinkie doing this schtick...) As for Spike, he's totally mischaracterized as a bumbler which makes no sense considering he's great at assisting just about everypony in every other episode. The one shining spot is Spike's dragon song - one of my fave moments in MLP! Just for Sidekicks - Eh, I'm on the fence with this one. They basically rehash the "Spike is Greedy" theme but it does have some fun moments and is the only episode where he has some real interaction with the CMC, which is interesting to watch. Power Ponies - Not necessarily a purely Spike-centric episode, but he does good here and the theme is pretty much the writers acknowledging, "Yeah, we know we treat Spike like dirt. Sorry." (And then forget that lesson until the end of S4.) Inspiration Manifestation - A great episode demoted to "good" only because of the poor pacing and rushed resolution in act 3. No Spike characterization issues, and he learns a valuable new lesson. Equestria Games - A great Spike episode. Painful at times to see him struggle, but the audience learning he's a hero and how he shines in the end makes it all worthwhile. Princess Spike - Eh. Spike's greed/powerlust gets rehashed again, but it's only a minor issue compared to how terribly characterized all the other ponies in the episode are. New writer syndrome. So to summarize, a lot of the "badness" in the Spike episodes isn't due to Spike's character itself but the ponies around him or the episode's premise itself. They do tend to overuse his greed even though he's already learned that lesson multiple times, and his bumbling in "Spike at Your Service" is totally out of nowhere! 1 Are you a Spike fan? Click on the image above for a compendium of nearly every Spike scene in the show! =D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlikeable Pony 2,700 August 16, 2015 Share August 16, 2015 Spike's a great character, no doubt. that being said, i feel he works best in duos, like in inspiration manifestation or as a snarker to Twilight. I really see no reason to alter things any, and I would just like a little more care shown with his episode than defaulting to "lol, stupid little kid" like they do sometimes. (I loved power ponies for example, and he's generally great in the comics) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Join the herd!Sign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now