What's with all the characters' lack of appearances?

[FirePuppy 621]

After 17 episodes of last season, Rarity made the most appearances with 15 and Fluttershy, the least with 11 (which, by the way, was more than in Season 5 with 9). But after 17 episodes of this season, NOPONY AT ALL (not even Starlight) has still reached 11 appearances!

Honestly, this team of writers needs a lot more improvement for once.

Edited September 2, 2017 by FirePuppy

[Megas 27,041]

On one hand, I'd rather they don't have to shoehorn the mane 6 into every episode if they aren't needed, on the other I do agree it's rather worrisome that they haven't been showing up as much. That said I don't think the current team needs any improvements, this is one of the best seasons. Definitely beats the shit out of S6 by a long shot

[Marimo 555]

Sometimes characters don't appear because they just aren't necessary for the story.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Marimo

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Just now, Marimo said:

Why? Sometimes characters don't appear because they just aren't necessary for the story.

I agree with this, this season has had a big focus on side character development. The mane 6 are still important, but expanding the show has been great. 

Season 7 is mostly new writers with a new vision and it has been fantastic.

[FirePuppy 621]

6 minutes ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

I agree with this, this season has had a big focus on side character development. The mane 6 are still important, but expanding the show has been great. 

Season 7 is mostly new writers with a new vision and it has been fantastic.

I hope so. The "big focus on side characters" thing better not happen in Season 8.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Just now, FirePuppy said:

I hope so. The "big focus on side characters" thing better not happen in Season 8.

I hope it does, we have gotten good main character episodes this season, and the show is doing good at not being stagnant this season.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Spike didn't do alot this season so he's owed quite a few starring episodes next season. Make season 8 be that BIG season I've been hoping for Spike to have!

[Tacodidra 59,753]

20 minutes ago, Whompy Whomperson said:

On one hand, I'd rather they don't have to shoehorn the mane 6 into every episode if they aren't needed, on the other I do agree it's rather worrisome that they haven't been showing up as much.

I agree. While I haven't seen the last two seasons yet and as such can't comment on their quality, I'm glad they only feature the necessary characters in each episode (more time to focus on what's important). I admit that when I started watching MLP, I was sort of expecting to see all of the Mane 6 in each episode, but soon I realized it was often for the better (especially in the non-Mane 6-focused episodes such as the CMC ones). Though in some cases, they could have incorporated some of the characters more effectively. One such example was "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?" where Pinkie appeared but did nothing to help the others in the battle. Even side characters, such as Filthy Rich, got to do more.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Tacodidra

[FirePuppy 621]

6 minutes ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

I hope it does, we have gotten good main character episodes this season, and the show is doing good at not being stagnant this season.

 

1 minute ago, MegaSean45 said:

Spike didn't do alot this season so he's owed quite a few starring episodes next season. Make season 8 be that BIG season I've been hoping for Spike to have!

Well, in this case, I only want four of the Mane Six to get downgraded to secondary characters (Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow), while the main characters will be Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer. Reasons why:

• Three of them still don't have an episode where they each are the only main characters to have an appearance.
• We haven't been getting a lot of PinkieShy episodes in earlier seasons.
• As for the rest of the Mane Six, they're done. No more important episodes. And with Twilight downgraded, Starlight can easily take her place.

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I'm liking the approach this current season is providing us as it gives other characters a chance to shine without relying on the main cast all the time. Granted, they should still use the main cast as they are the main focus that the show revolves around but not to the point where they take up everything resulting in others being neglected.

[cmarston1 5,951]

34 minutes ago, Marimo said:

Sometimes characters don't appear because they just aren't necessary for the story.

This

[Jeric 46,834]

1 hour ago, FirePuppy said:

After 17 episodes of last season, Rarity made the most appearances with 15 and Fluttershy, the least with 11 (which, by the way, was more than in Season 5 with 9). But after 17 episodes of this season, NOPONY AT ALL (not even Starlight) has still reached 11 appearances!

Honestly, this team of writers needs a lot more improvement for once.

I told you once already ... parity is a stupid measurement of valuing quality. It's a horrible concept, and wherever I see anyone push it as a key performance indicator of entertainment I pity their inability to properly critically assess quality. 

The writers have been kicking ass this season, and even for those fans that haven't enjoyed seven as much as I have ... their complaints sure as hell aren't due to character balance. I may disagree with some who argue that Starlight isn't a good character, but at least they can make an argument centered around actual writing. 

I've seen people mentally hyper focus on all sorts of insanity in just the three years of participation in this fandom. I consider parity up there with those who obsess over Spike not growing, the CMC going their separate ways because they reached their goal, or how Equestria Girls has ruined the brand. 

And when a large percentage of someone's intellectual contributions to the fandom dialog tend to focus on one specific element -- yes it's an obsession. 

 

 

[zenith32 76]

35 minutes ago, Ryanmahaffe said:

I agree with this, this season has had a big focus on side character development. The mane 6 are still important, but expanding the show has been great. 

The immense amount of side character development this season is something I've been looking for since Season 3. Hell today's episode didn't even feature any of the mane 6 beyond a name drop!  You can only do so much with a small group of characters before things start to get stale or worse (ie. contradicting themselves), so it only makes sense that as time goes on we'd start to see more new characters and more development for them.

[Megas 27,041]

47 minutes ago, Jeric said:

I told you once already ... parity is a stupid measurement of valuing quality. It's a horrible concept, and wherever I see anyone push it as a key performance indicator of entertainment I pity their inability to properly critically assess quality. 

Yeah, a good way to prove this is comparing RD in S6 to S7 for example. RD actually had a lot of focus episodes in S6, getting 3 episodes for herself, yet I'd be hard pressed to find any RD fan who was actually happy with it, as it felt like the writers hated her outright and were out to get her with two of those episodes in particular. In contrast, RD's only had one episode so far(Daring Done is looking more and more like a Pinkie Pie episode, and Secrets and Pies as well seems mainly Pinkie too), yet her one episode this season is already one of the show's best and a fuck ton better than her appearances in S6. I do agree that we need to stop being so obsessive with "x needs y amount of episodes because z!", because ultimately it doesn't really mean anything, and especially when...-

59 minutes ago, FirePuppy said:

 

Well, in this case, I only want four of the Mane Six to get downgraded to secondary characters (Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow), while the main characters will be Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer. Reasons why:

• Three of them still don't have an episode where they each are the only main characters to have an appearance.
• We haven't been getting a lot of PinkieShy episodes in earlier seasons.
• As for the rest of the Mane Six, they're done. No more important episodes. And with Twilight downgraded, Starlight can easily take her place.

... I see shit like this. This just sounds like you ruin things for everyone else.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

10 hours ago, Whompy Whomperson said:

Yeah, a good way to prove this is comparing RD in S6 to S7 for example. RD actually had a lot of focus episodes in S6, getting 3 episodes for herself, yet I'd be hard pressed to find any RD fan who was actually happy with it, as it felt like the writers hated her outright and were out to get her with two of those episodes in particular. In contrast, RD's only had one episode so far(Daring Done is looking more and more like a Pinkie Pie episode, and Secrets and Pies as well seems mainly Pinkie too), yet her one episode this season is already one of the show's best and a fuck ton better than her appearances in S6. I do agree that we need to stop being so obsessive with "x needs y amount of episodes because z!", because ultimately it doesn't really mean anything, and especially when...-

... I see shit like this. This just sounds like you ruin things for everyone else.

I know what you mean. Why do people think the Main 6 are 'done', anyway?

[Hierok 11,829]

13 hours ago, MegaSean45 said:

Spike didn't do alot this season so he's owed quite a few starring episodes next season. Make season 8 be that BIG season I've been hoping for Spike to have!

I hope actually season 8 is a big season for Starlight as well. I actually want some of the mane characters to go on a journey for the whole or just the halve of the season. 

13 hours ago, FirePuppy said:

 

Well, in this case, I only want four of the Mane Six to get downgraded to secondary characters (Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow), while the main characters will be Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer. Reasons why:

• Three of them still don't have an episode where they each are the only main characters to have an appearance.
• We haven't been getting a lot of PinkieShy episodes in earlier seasons.
• As for the rest of the Mane Six, they're done. No more important episodes. And with Twilight downgraded, Starlight can easily take her place.

Not downgrade them at all. That would ruin the show. Like I set here you could send Rainbow of with the wonderbolts on a mission and Rarity to stay on another boutique for a while. Twilight could go with Celestia and Luna on a trip. Stuff like that.

Also, I rather see more Discord and mane 6 characters episode and not so many PinkieShy episodes.

Starlight taking Twilights place would be a terrible idea. 

1 hour ago, heavens-champion said:

I know what you mean. Why do people think the Main 6 are 'done', anyway?

Some of them are closing in to being done, like Rarity and Rainbow.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

5 minutes ago, Hierok said:

I hope actually season 8 is a big season for Starlight as well. I actually want some of the mane characters to go on a journey for the whole or just the halve of the season. 

Not downgrade them at all. That would ruin the show. Like I set here you could send Rainbow of with the wonderbolts on a mission and Rarity to stay on another boutique for a while. Twilight could go with Celestia and Luna on a trip. Stuff like that.

Also, I rather see more Discord and mane 6 characters episode and not so many PinkieShy episodes.

Starlight taking Twilights place would be a terrible idea. 

Some of them are closing in to being done, like Rarity and Rainbow.

I don't see it.

[Hierok 11,829]

Just now, heavens-champion said:

I don't see it.

Well, Rainbow lives her dream, so the only thing she actually can do is teach other students, and Rarity opened multipule shops and is famous. That is what I call almost done.

[heavens-champion 1,893]

Just now, Hierok said:

Well, Rainbow lives her dream, so the only thing she actually can do is teach other students, and Rarity opened multipule shops and is famous. That is what I call almost done.

You say that like they can't have anymore story arcs.

[Hierok 11,829]

Just now, heavens-champion said:

You say that like they can't have anymore story arcs.

Sure they can, but in order to do that you have to change their character a bit and make them have interests for other things too.

[FirePuppy 621]

20 hours ago, Hierok said:

Not downgrade them at all. That would ruin the show. Like I set here you could send Rainbow of with the wonderbolts on a mission and Rarity to stay on another boutique for a while. Twilight could go with Celestia and Luna on a trip. Stuff like that.

Also, I rather see more Discord and mane 6 characters episode and not so many PinkieShy episodes.

Starlight taking Twilights place would be a terrible idea. 

Some of them are closing in to being done, like Rarity and Rainbow.

The show is already rotting to death anyway under my thoughts. So to end the series with another season or two, I say it's still best to give four of the Mane Six (Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow, in this case) less appearances in Season 8 than Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and Starlight.

[Adderbane 120]

In my opinion, the show is best when it's focusing on the relationships between characters.  All the combinations between the mane 6 have been explored pretty thoroughly over the past several years, but there's a whole host of side characters relatively untouched.  What's so great about this season is that instead of focusing yet again on the intra-Mane-6 stories, they're branching out to look at the Mane 6 and other characters like Maud.

Not that I don't think there are Mane 6 stories left to tell, but widening their network creates all kinds of new possibilities.  I'd rather see that then have them make bad episodes because they're trying to fill a quota.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

On 3/9/2017 at 7:55 PM, Hierok said:

Well, Rainbow lives her dream, so the only thing she actually can do is teach other students...

How about Rainbow replace Spitfire? Or how about RD become the most famous flyer of Equestria, a new Firefly.  It would be awesome. 

On 3/9/2017 at 7:55 PM, Hierok said:

Rarity opened multipule shops and is famous.

Time to bring back Suri Polomare to ruin Rarity's life... 

[heavens-champion 1,893]

On 9/6/2017 at 0:59 AM, Lambdadelta said:

How about Rainbow replace Spitfire? Or how about RD become the most famous flyer of Equestria, a new Firefly.  It would be awesome. 

Time to bring back Suri Polomare to ruin Rarity's life... 

It would be nice to see Suri Polomare again, wouldn't it. Hearing her fail the fashion show offscreen is one thing, but seeing her fail is all the sweeter. If she becomes a better pony... that's fine, too.

[Philweasel 139]

The Mane 6 not getting so much attention makes perfect sense to me, because they have the movie! Given that, I feel it's the perfect opportunity to flesh out the side characters in the series proper.

Rainbow Dash really needs... something though. As mentioned, season 6 sucked for her, and she's barely been in this one.

Season 7 has rescued Twilight for me though. She's been boring and almost irrelevant for ages, yet she's had loads of appearances in this one.

Rarity's lack of appearances don't bother me, because season 6 had her in every other episode.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie seem to be on par with every other season.

Applejack... well she's not doing too bad, considering one of her episodes is considered the season's best.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Philweasel