Is Flash Sentry's Major Flaw Really The Issue?

[knightgallant 2]

Okay over a year ago (I think) I made a blog asking how Flash Sentry, or Brad in some people's case, was a Gary Stu. And after some time and hearing other people's reasons, I now understand how. A nice guy and a slight dork are his only traits. He doesn't have much of a personality so he doesn't have cons as much as he has pros. He's a walking middle ground. So what this leads up to is, why do people want to instantly despise him because of that? Many reviewers including the famous brony analysts state the same reason, and some can't find a reason to hate nor like him, though there is one common thing that all of them tend to leave out when stating that reason, isn't that the same case with many of the background characters or one offs we've come to love in an instant? How many of us can even remember the reason we liked background characters before they became a big thing? I mean Lyra, BonBon, Derpy, Vinyl, all of were as implied, background characters, Just ponies with no lines, no established personalities, only there to take up empty space. Yet here we are treating said characters as if they were our own children. In fact, it sounds even more contradictory when you realize that we were the ones who made their personalities for them, and that's how we've come to love them so.

 

Now if Flash is in the same category as them, why is it that we take the route of disliking him? He hasn't hurt anybody as of now, only exist. If I may guess, it's more on the lines of them thinking he's useless as a character. The background characters at least did their job of being in the background. What I mean is, Flash was supposed to be a big deal, he's the established love interest, and after years of watching Disney movies, that's kind of important. A love interest is not supposed to just be there to exist, he supposed the lover, friend, partner, and companion to the female or male lead. They are there to help them any chance they get as well a develop a relationship while doing so. Heck, even Eric from Little Mermaid did his part by killing Ursala. And then we have Flash, a love interest is what he is, and yet he doesn't fulfill that purpose right, it just ends up as more of a mutual crush and nothing more, hence why they think he's useless. He had a role and he didn't live up to it, for three movies straight. This, I think, is what ticked people off deep inside, and found themselves to be annoyed, which lead to loathing him. This is not his fault, it's that the writers can't seem to find the time to do something with him, which shouldn't be a big issue, because look at how much time and attention they give to the fan favorite characters lately in episodes. I'm sure they could think of something if they actually tried.

 

Back to the point the point. From what I see it's not just the issue the he's underdeveloped, rather he just doesn't do anything for an established character. It's like a rc car with no batteries, it just sits there and goes nowhere so you just get bored and ignore it, but if you put batteries in it, you'd like it and have a lot more fun with it. So personality wise, I think he's just fine. If you want him to be fixed, just give him more screen time ,interaction with other characters, and let him do something. So what do you say, am I close? If not tell if I'm wrong and add your two cents. I just like talking about this issue and more mad at the writers than him.

[PROJECT: Simon 3,953]

For me, it's just people are upset because their waifu has been taken away ._. 

[Chronamut 355]

exactly what the user above me said.

 

That and his personality was made even more "despise-able" in the second movie, when flash turns on twilight.

 

But mostly because everyone wants to ship twilight to their own OC - they would pretty much hate anyone.

[J. Brony 313]

Jumping on the bandwagon for this one.

 

There would be so much less hate for Flash if he was just a normal background character and less of a "romantic interest" for a lot of bronies' waifu.

[Chronamut 355]

Jumping on the bandwagon for this one.

 

There would be so much less hate for Flash if he was just a normal background character and less of a "romantic interest" for a lot of bronies' waifu.

 

let's be honest - there would probably be no hate - he is a pretty forgettable character.

[Chronamut 355]

you mean like sunset shimmers personality of "anger issues and likes to play guitar"?

[green 331]

you mean like sunset shimmers personality of "anger issues and likes to play guitar"?

Not sure what you mean there. Sunset Shimmer is one of the MOST developed characters.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Yellow Diamond

[Chronamut 355]

Not sure what you mean there. Sunset Shimmer is one of the MOST developed characters.

 

I would seriously argue with that - compared to the mane six she doesn't really have any well defined talents - she is just the witch that took over the school and now feels bad about it and explodes whenever people don't do what she says and has a temper - she's kinda like the "ginger" of the group.

 

and sure she forgives and helps save the school with magic in the third movie but meh.

 

And she plays guitar.

 

Twilight is a genius in that world - fluttershy takes care of animals - rainbowdash is captain of every sports team - applejack runs the farm and pinkie pie is the events coordinator for dances and stuff. AND they all play in a band as well.

 

Sunset shimmer just plays guitar.

 

Imo out of all of them she is the LEAST developed character.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Chronamut

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

For me, it's just people are upset because their waifu has been taken away ._. 

 

exactly what the user above me said.

 

That and his personality was made even more "despise-able" in the second movie, when flash turns on twilight.

 

But mostly because everyone wants to ship twilight to their own OC - they would pretty much hate anyone.

 

Jumping on the bandwagon for this one.

 

There would be so much less hate for Flash if he was just a normal background character and less of a "romantic interest" for a lot of bronies' waifu.

Each of you are objectively wrong, thanks to using the same ridiculous strawman. Flash isn't hated for "stealing their waifu." He's hated because he's a half-dimensional stereotype. There's no basis of his personality other than being a mishmash of high-school clichés. Any conflict is nonexistant. When the crush angle does show up, there's zero chemistry, and Princess Twilight crushed on him because he looked sexy. If he was a factually good-quality character that subverts high-school stereotypes, then he wouldn't be so disliked.

 

 

 

How many of us can even remember the reason we liked background characters before they became a big thing? I mean Lyra, BonBon, Derpy, Vinyl, all of were as implied, background characters, Just ponies with no lines, no established personalities, only there to take up empty space. Yet here we are treating said characters as if they were our own children. In fact, it sounds even more contradictory when you realize that we were the ones who made their personalities for them, and that's how we've come to love them so.

There's a huge difference between the background characters and Flash. Characters like Vinyl, Whooves, and Derpy are created with the intent to be in the background. They're more minor than tertiary characters. Do something interesting in the background, and the fandom creates headcanons. Slice of Life was a one-off to thank the older bronies. Conversely, Flash is at least a tertiary character and at most secondary. In the first two films (especially EQG1), he was just as important as the ReMane Five.

[J. Brony 313]

Each of you are objectively wrong, thanks to using the same ridiculous strawman. 

 

Just because you don't agree with our opinion on the matter doesn't mean that we're wrong or throwing out "strawmen".  Seriously, stop accusing people of this.  It's a public forum and you are not an authority on anything being discussed here.

 

 

I would seriously argue with that - compared to the mane six she doesn't really have any well defined talents - she is just the witch that took over the school and now feels bad about it and explodes whenever people don't do what she says and has a temper - she's kinda like the "ginger" of the group.

 

I kinda feel like this works in her favor.  Sunset Shimmer is still struggling to overcome her old ways of thinking and basically reinvent herself.  She's still somewhat out-of-place at Canterlot High so it's natural she'd still be a little clueless about what she should be doing there.

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

Just because you don't agree with our opinion on the matter doesn't mean that we're wrong or throwing out "strawmen". Seriously, stop accusing people of this.

An opinion doesn't give you a free pass. Use poor logic, and you'll get called out on it. Rather than understanding the legitimate reasons why Flash isn't disliked, you used the common, shady reason why Flash isn't disliked, one that makes no sense whatsoever. "Flash stole my waifu" is a strawman, period.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[J. Brony 313]

An opinion doesn't give you a free pass. Use poor logic, and you'll get called out on it. Rather than understanding the legitimate reasons why Flash isn't disliked, you used the common, shady reason why Flash isn't disliked. "Flash stole my waifu" is a strawman, period.

 

And who are you to determine what is reasonable or call anyone out on anything?  Can't you post your own thoughts without picking a fight like everyone else on this board? 

Edited November 3, 2015 by J. Brony

[Chronamut 355]

An opinion doesn't give you a free pass. Use poor logic, and you'll get called out on it. Rather than understanding the legitimate reasons why Flash isn't disliked, you used the common, shady reason why Flash isn't disliked, one that makes no sense whatsoever. "Flash stole my waifu" is a strawman, period.

 

actually we DO have a basis for it..

 

https://youtu.be/E7DCOyu6TRI?t=623

Edited November 3, 2015 by Chronamut

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

And who are you to determine what is reasonable or call anyone out on anything?

I can tell it's reasonable based on the evidence presented by the critics. If the reasons for their dislike for Flash are warranted, then I'm going to respect it. If reasons make no sense, someone will criticize you for it, whether it's me or somebody else. "Flash stole my waifu" takes the legit reasons why he's disliked and reduces them down to a conclusion that makes no sense. It was a strawman back when EQG1 aired, and it never changed. Using it will get a critical response in return.

 

actually we DO have a basis for it..

A lot of what Bronies React says in response to scenes are jokes, so take them with a grain of salt.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Chronamut 355]

ok.. how about this.. from these forums

 

 

Flash Sentry: because he became a love interest of Twilight, and with such also because he's a stallion that caught Twilight's interest.

This getting in the way of fans' favorite ships.

I personally would have been fine if he would have become canon, as it would have given him time to be developed and made better, yet... annoyingly the writers made a love interest that they would do nothing with, making it all pointless!

Seriously what the hey, why add a love interest in the movie that will not appear in the tv show?
---------

Also Sunset Shimmer was not an incompetent villian, some fans just think she is.

Admitting there was also some flaws in script for Equestrua Girls that could explain why these two are hated

 

[J. Brony 313]

If reasons make no sense, 

 

Seems like a lot of the people posting in this thread feel that they do.  

[Chronamut 355]

hmm orrr maaaaaybe  this 

Flash Sentry is hated because he is Twilight's love interest and because he is so... generic. There is nothing special about him. He is just so cliché. Plus, the awkward romance between him and Twi is just so cringe-worthy.

 

 

seriously there is evidence to the waifu thing everywhere.. how many examples would you like me to reference and how deep into the internet would you like me to go?

Edited November 3, 2015 by Chronamut

[Singe 2,109]

Rarity's one off romances had more effort than Flash Sentry. There is no substance except love at first sight attractions and rushing physical contact.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Singe

[Chronamut 355]

Rarity's one off romances had more effort than Flash Sentry. There is no substance except love at first sight attractions and rushing physical contact.

 

considering it was basically one night that she saw him and then she left back for equestria, is that really HIS fault? I mean the guy put in a lot of effort to woo her in the first movie and then she just leaves - is his asking constantly if twilight is back in the second movie any less than.. ANY of us would probably do in the same circumstances..?

Edited November 3, 2015 by Chronamut

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

Seems like a lot of the people posting in this thread feel that they do.  

Just because they feel it makes sense doesn't make it so. Examine the reasons why they don't like him and think critically; Silver-Quill has an excellent analysis of him on YT. The opening post explains really well why Flash isn't well-liked. When Flash has the chance to be a good character (and there's a great chance if given the effort), DHX acts like they want nothing to do with him, and that's very sad. He's trapped in the role of being Twilight's love interest, and his purpose is confined to it. Because he's a much newer character and was inserted as such, the angle disrespects his character far more than Twilight's.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Silver Stream. 708]

An opinion doesn't give you a free pass. Use poor logic, and you'll get called out on it. Rather than understanding the legitimate reasons why Flash isn't disliked, you used the common, shady reason why Flash isn't disliked, one that makes no sense whatsoever. "Flash stole my waifu" is a strawman, period.

 

I think most of us can agree that 75% of the fandom is made up of poor logic. "Flash stole my waifu" is unfortunately a large part of it especially when it comes to the Equestria Girls franchise. It may be poor logic, but incredibly so, it's still true to most bronies out there. It's rare for a fan of MLP to find legitimate reasons as to why they dislike a character or ship characters. No need to get super passionate over it because it'll just lead to a huge warzone if their reasons are disrespected. I understand and agree to what you are saying, but there are ways to disagreeing with an opinion and explaining how irrational some things are without coming at them so forcefully. Despite it probably the craziest thing we've ever heard, it's true to a high degree for some bronies. 

 

Anyway, for me, I don't dislike Flash. As others have said, some bronies just hate how a cliche he is and he is stealing their "waifu" or whatever and that is. For others, it's because of his potential and his poor execution as a character. Flash is not a background pony, but he is a static character that's being used for two purposes: a plot, and a joke. 

 

This is high school people....you find a nice guy with that "bad boy" look and you immediately want to tap dat. The popular guy falls for the new awkward girl, and it's love at first sight. They did this to incorporate how silly this has been throughout movie history. In the first movie, he was there as a plot device and a cliche joke. But in the last two, he was there to screw with the fandom and that's it. And bronies have undoubtedly been eating out of the writers' hands.

 

Flash has potential. Despite him being a joke with little to no development, I CAN see him going somewhere. My frustration comes from his execution....if the writers would just take him seriously and give him a real role, I believe he could veer away from being the most hated static character in the franchise to pretty a likable dude . That's basically what they did for Sunset Shimmer

Edited November 3, 2015 by Princess Sunset

[Chronamut 355]

the question was why flash wasn't well liked, not what LOGICAL reason do people have for not liking him. A lot have people have stupid irrational reasons for not liking htings, that doesn't make the fact they don't like them invalid, or their reasons.

 

The truth stands - a lot of bronies have irrational stupid reasons for not liking flash sentry.

I think most of us can agree that 75% of the fandom is made up of poor logic. "Flash stole my waifu" is unfortunately a large part of it especially when it comes to the Equestria Girls franchise. It may be poor logic, but incredibly so, it's still true to most bronies out there. It's rare for a fan of MLP to find legitimate reasons as to why they dislike a character or ship characters. No need to get super passionate over it because it'll just lead to a huge warzone if their reasons are disrespected. I understand and agree to what you are saying, but there are ways to disagreeing with an opinion and explaining how irrational some things are without coming at them so forcefully. 

 

Anyway, for me, I don't dislike Flash. As others have said, some bronies just hate how a cliche is stealing their "waifu" or whatever and that it. For others, it's because of his potential and his poor execution as a character. Flash is not a background pony, but he is a static character that's being used for two purposes: a plot, and a joke. 

 

This is high school people....you find a nice guy with that "bad boy" look and you immediately want to tap dat. The popular guy falls for the new awkward girl, and it's love at first sight. They did this to incorporate how silly this has been throughout movie history. In the first movie, he was there as a plot device and a cliche joke. But in the last two, he was there to screw with the fandom and that's it. And bronies have undoubtedly been eating out of the writers' hands.

 

Flash has potential. Despite him being a joke with little to no development, I CAN see him going somewhere. My frustration comes from his execution....if the writers would just take him seriously and give him a real role, I believe he could veer away from being the most hated static character in the franchise to pretty likable dude . That's basically what they did for Sunset Shimmer

the fun part though is that they don't have to.

 

This is because of flash sentry in equestria - they have the power to make THAT flash sentry into whatever they choose - and he's already part of the royal guard - and if we have learned everything - alicorn princesses LOVE to tap some royal guard ponies.. as we learned with cadence and twilights brother.

[Lil Pip 775]

I would seriously argue with that - compared to the mane six she doesn't really have any well defined talents - she is just the witch that took over the school and now feels bad about it and explodes whenever people don't do what she says and has a temper - she's kinda like the "ginger" of the group.

 

and sure she forgives and helps save the school with magic in the third movie but meh.

 

And she plays guitar.

 

Twilight is a genius in that world - fluttershy takes care of animals - rainbowdash is captain of every sports team - applejack runs the farm and pinkie pie is the events coordinator for dances and stuff. AND they all play in a band as well.

 

Sunset shimmer just plays guitar.

 

Imo out of all of them she is the LEAST developed character.

Quantity of work or hobbies is not to be confused with character development.

Idk how people would confuse that.

[Singe 2,109]

considering it was basically one night that she saw him and then she left back for equestria, is that really HIS fault? I mean the guy put in a lot of effort to woo her in the first movie and then she just leaves - is his asking constantly if twilight is back in the second movie any less than.. ANY of us would probably do in the same circumstances..?

 

All it took was bumping into Flash for love at first sight and performing a White Knight act to win the Damsel in Distress Twilight Sparkle's heart.

 

Flash was just a waste of screen time and lines that could have been put to better use. Rather than Flash helping out Twilight, the Mane 5 could have done it instead.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Singe

[J. Brony 313]

Just because they feel it makes sense doesn't make it so. 

 

Doesn't make sense in general or doesn't make sense to you?  It's just an idea, an opinion, not a concrete fact, that is shared by a sizable part of the community.  You have a different opinion that makes better sense to you and I'm sure there are plenty of people who will agree with you.  But feeling that you are "right" on a matter doesn't mean that someone else is "wrong".  

 

~

 

Flash has potential. Despite him being a joke with little to no development, I CAN see him going somewhere. My frustration comes from his execution....if the writers would just take him seriously and give him a real role, I believe he could veer away from being the most hated static character in the franchise to pretty a likable dude . That's basically what they did for Sunset Shimmer

 

I agree with this.  I think the best way to approach this is to give the Equestrian version of Flash a supporting role in an episode of MLP.  Build up his character a little, give him something important to do and then let that carry over to his EQG counterpart.

Edited November 3, 2015 by J. Brony