Is Flash Sentry's Major Flaw Really The Issue?

[Evil_Emperor 176]

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.

It's not fair to dislike Flash turning on Twilight in Rainbow Rocks, the Sirens spell was effecting him. It literally was not his fault.

[Spikey-Wikey 378]

I'm not saying people should like Flash Sentry, I mean, sure, he definetely isn't the best MLP character ever, but some people make themselves look stupid claiming how much they hate him all the time.

 

Most Flash Sentry haters comment about how much they hate him all the time. They even go as far as saying they want him to die. They're just so annoying!

 

"i h8 flash sen3 he sux and has no karictur"

 

*10 minutes pass*

 

"GRRR i h8 flash sen3 wen wil he have karictur!!!!!!"

 

"5 minutes pass"

 

"RAAAAWWWR!!!!!! flash sen3 is the wurst karictur in da history of mlp!!!!! I HOPE HE GETS SHOT BY A GUN!!!! RAAAAWWRRR"

 

*repeat daily*

Edited December 1, 2015 by Baby Dinosaur

[Gestum 2,493]

I personally think that half of the problem is that he stole people waifu and the other half is his lack of character.

[Black Sabbath 2,484]

I personally think that half of the problem is that he stole people waifu and the other half is his lack of character.

But why do people complain about his lack of character when we care so much about the goddamn background characters?

[Singe 2,109]

Another possible reason some don't like Flash is because they don't like the taste of "love at first sight baloney." Twilight Sparkle is too endowed for a character to be caught up in that sort of cliche and she needs that time to build into a romantic relationship. 

Edited December 2, 2015 by Singe

[Drunk Not I Am 1,069]

Oh, apparently i read  this topic as " Sentry bots in fallout" shit, uhhh think of something relevant.... uhhh.. he's a generic romantic character to support the plot of the movie and really doesn't do much? 

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

But why do people complain about his lack of character when we care so much about the goddamn background characters?

Because neither are the same. You're comparing apples and oranges. Background characters fill in the background so the scene doesn't feel empty. Flash Sentry is a secondary character, and he's pivotal in the first two films. His character has a more direct impact on the audience, whereas background characters don't.

[Steve Piranha 28,752]

Man, the OP made a good point about Flashy. Some of us like the cliches Disney Princes because most of them, do something at least, but Flashy...... not so much. And the fact that he stole everyone's waifu doesn't help  . The damage done seems to send the writers on a loss with him, as he's appearing less and less

[J. Brony 313]

But why do people complain about his lack of character when we care so much about the goddamn background characters?

 

For good or for ill, the background characters have years of fanmade content to prop them up whereas Flash does not.    

Edited December 16, 2015 by J. Brony

[cider float 2,535]

But why do people complain about his lack of character when we care so much about the goddamn background characters?

It makes no sense to me as well. I'm guessing it's because he's not female. The other background ponies that are beloved by the fans are all female.

Because neither are the same. You're comparing apples and oranges. Background characters fill in the background so the scene doesn't feel empty. Flash Sentry is a secondary character, and he's pivotal in the first two films. His character has a more direct impact on the audience, whereas background characters don't.

Is that why people like Firefly and Coco Pommel so much as they too are secondary characters that are there just to start a story?

 

Also can't ignore Princess Luna.

Edited December 16, 2015 by cider float

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Yeah I don't find Sunset Shimmer developed or anything like people say. She appears in three movies and suddenly becomes a big hit in the brony fandom for some reason. I mean Spike has way more development than Sunset Shimmer yet people don't like him as much. They did not explore Sunset Shimmer enough to show any development really.

 

The entirety of her face time is her talking about how the school still hasn't forgiven her and how she feels guilty. But you never see this issue being explored. Only once, when she was trying to help some students clear up an auditorium and they just sort of brushed her away. It's not like she was getting bullied or anything else. She just comes out whiny and emo the whole time. I'm just facehoofing whenever she is with the mane six just complaining thinking "this again." She doesn't go through any hardships, how she was treated was more like a typical Mary Sue in any case. When compared to Twilight which she was supposed to replace in the third movie she was as developed as a G1 main character pony.

 

I hear some people say that the show has a problem doing "Show, Don't Tell".

[simba86 1,541]

maybe the father / brother in us kicks in and we don't like flash/brad in the same way we would'nt like anyone our daughters or sisters choose to date? like wanting to keep her safe?

Edited December 16, 2015 by simba86

[Black Sabbath 2,484]

For good or for ill, the background characters have years of fanmade content to prop them up whereas Flash does not.

And that fanmade stuff was created because the fandom liked those characters even though they have no real personality. So I fail to see your point.

[Izanagi 176]

or, you now..they're cartoon characters that people can just..dislike? 

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

Is that why people like Firefly and Coco Pommel so much as they too are secondary characters that are there just to start a story?

 

Also can't ignore Princess Luna.

1. Firefly is irrelevant, for she's not shown in G4 at any point other than to demonstrate the Wonderbolts' history.
2. Coco Pommel isn't a flat character. She's a three-dimensional secondary character who shows her emotion. You can tell by her guilt in RTM that she felt guilty by what she did, but didn't have the courage to quit. And in MIM, it's obvious how much the play in the park means so much to her.
3. Sans Twilight, Luna is objectively the most complex alicorn princess, and it isn't even close. And in her two main episodes, she showed how much her past actions pained her.

[Silver Stream. 708]

Because neither are the same. You're comparing apples and oranges. Background characters fill in the background so the scene doesn't feel empty. Flash Sentry is a secondary character, and he's pivotal in the first two films. His character has a more direct impact on the audience, whereas background characters don't.

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Secondary characters are way more.developed than Flash Sentry such as the cutie mark crusaders, discord, Luna, etc. Flash is more like a static character...only existing as a plot device and a joke about the typical teenage romance that makes no sense. Though I'll agree the background characters and flash are still.on different.categories.

 

 

Though it makes me wonder if over half the background characters would receive such hate had they played a role similar to Flash's. Or vice versa: would Flash be less hated of he was a simple background character who mooned over Twilight from afar without directly associating himself with her or playing an important role to make him a plot device.

[cider float 2,535]

 

1. Firefly is irrelevant, for she's not shown in G4 at any point other than to demonstrate the Wonderbolts' history.
2. Coco Pommel isn't a flat character. She's a three-dimensional secondary character who shows her emotion. You can tell by her guilt in RTM that she felt guilty by what she did, but didn't have the courage to quit. And in MIM, it's obvious how much the play in the park means so much to her.
3. Sans Twilight, Luna is objectively the most complex alicorn princess, and it isn't even close. And in her two main episodes, she showed how much her past actions pained her.

 

Shining Armor crying is not showing his emotions and having his connection with Twilight as her brother means nothing either right?

 

Luna isn't very complex, but there is inconsistency with her sometimes which is not really a proper character build. I can only remember Luna exists because of her fandom. Coco Pommel I completely forgot but noticed there are people that do like her.

 

I mean you're just taking the ones I just said into context, there's Lyra and Vinyl Scratch that gets so much love for doing nothing. You got to look at it as all the characters are on average.

Edited December 17, 2015 by cider float

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

 

 

Secondary characters are way more.developed than Flash Sentry such as the cutie mark crusaders, discord, Luna, etc. Flash is more like a static character...only existing as a plot device and a joke about the typical teenage romance that makes no sense.

Static characters =/= not secondary. In EQG1, Flash is treated with as much importance as the ReMane Five. RR reduces his emphasis, but not his importance.

 

And if he and FlashLight were a parody of high school romances (which I highly doubt), it failed miserably. Both films play the romance perfectly straight, treat him seriously, and don't treat the angle as a joke.

[Silver Stream. 708]

Static characters =/= not secondary. In EQG1, Flash is treated with as much importance as the ReMane Five. RR reduces his emphasis, but not his importance.

 

And if he and FlashLight were a parody of high school romances (which I highly doubt), it failed miserably. Both films play the romance perfectly straight, treat him seriously, and don't treat the angle as a joke.

Um.....I'm aware static characters are not the same as secondary characters...that's.... the whole reason why I pointed out Flash was a static character INSTEAD of a secondary character as you expressed prior to my response? XD When I said even secondary characters have more development than flash, I was stressing the fact he wasn't close to a secondary character at all. He has no development throughout all three movies. All we know is that he likes Twilight....isna guard for Cadence...and he is your typical nice guy guitar player. Nothing else develops beyond that.

 

The CMc are secondary characters. Discord is a secondary character...Luna is a secondary character because they receive development and go from point A in their lives to point B whether it's dealing with others or dealing with themselves. Granted...Luna was inconsistently development at one point but it's still better than Flash...who has none of that which I wish he did.

 

 

And it's fine if you believe their romance was played perfectly. I mean...if you believe love at first sight where they know nothing of each other, 85% percent of their conversations last less than 2minutes and it's only them having a running joke of "we need to stop bumping into each other like this"....this is what you call physical attraction. Teens looking at each other and immediately wants each other based off what they see on the surface literally and figuratively. A high school setting within a movie is nothing without a cliche romantic story that makes no sense which is why I personally see it as a parody. They succeeded imo to demonstrate that. Any sensible adult would say "you kids know nothing of love" in response to everything we've seen of Flash and Twi's interaction.

 

He deserves better, I won't deny that, but he really isn't being taken seriously at all.

 

Though every opinion is different I suppose, so maybe you and a few others really do see that as real romance and Flash is a secondary character for you despite lacking what secondary characters are supposed to have imo

Edited December 18, 2015 by Silver Stream.

[knightgallant 2]

Alright if it is the case that Flash is a static character, and has no choice but to show up at least once each movie, how come the writers don't bother to develop him. i can understand, that they're not up to working on a cliche romantic subplot and have it overshadow the major one, but they can at least work on his character some instead of writing him in just to literally be ignored, Friendship Games is a big example.

 

Out of all the characters they put the effort into emphasizing or developing, whether for the sake of the story or for fanservice, Flash was always the odd man/pony out. In Friendship Games, Twilight wouldn't so much as hold conversation with him when it didn't stop her from talking to everybody else when she was busy. Heck, even in the Slice of Life episode, Flash was supposed to be in it for a legitimately funny part and was one of the most plausible ones to show up, but his part was cut. You could say for time constraints, but there were parts in that episode that I thought could've been cut, yet they kept those, but excluded him.

 

It just feels like they treat Flash like an accident child that they acknowledge his existence but don't really care for him. Like they can throw him away at any time, but they just don't. I kind of feel more sorry for Vincent Tong, being called to only speak one or two lines, each part he's in, and that's not much.

Edited December 18, 2015 by knightgallant

[lissierocks 9]

 

The Twilight bumping into flash thing is getting really old after like 6 times

 

[KatonRyu 1,026]

 

 

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.

 

I partially agree with you. Flash is indeed horribly underdeveloped and that makes him a bad character, but saying that's the only reason he's hated is simply not true. Even if he were properly developed many people would loathe him simply for being a love interest for Twilight. That may not be rational, but an opinion does not need to be rational to be a valid opinion. By definition, an opinion does not need to be based on fact and as such attaching an objective value to a fundamentally subjective thing is entirely illogical.

 

You don't need to agree with an opinion, obviously, but you're telling people their opinions are wrong, and that is simply not possible. An opinion cannot be right or wrong because of its subjective nature. They needn't be based on facts or logic, so saying 'your opinion is objectively wrong' is a statement that makes no logical sense.