Should the show's staff members troll us?

[ggg-2 3,553]

Staff members trolling the fandom, writers and voice actors alike, has been a thing since Faust was still in charge. But should they do it? On one hand, yes I know it's all in good fun. On the other hand though, when has dealing with trolls ever been a pleasant experience?

[Hierok 11,831]

Trolling is fine, but to a limit. The staff have never surpassed that limit, so it is fine by me. 

[Steve Piranha 29,428]

I'm pretty sure a staff member or two have an account in this very forums and visit occasionally just to have a laugh as well  

[Hierok 11,831]

3 minutes ago, Steve Piranha said:

I'm pretty sure a staff member or two have an account in this very forums and visit occasionally just to have a laugh as well  

If so, I would love to meet one. 

[Flutterstep 47,090]

I'd say no since some people can take trolling as a form of bullying. It really depends on the context though. Staff can still remain fun and professional at the same time.

[Kaneki 1,073]

I'm fine with a staff member teasing me if I know them well (like Yellow Diamond/Spoon, even though he's former staff, or any of the tech staff for example). I'd say be professional all the time until you get to know the member, then if you know them well, you can tease them a little bit, just don't go too far.

Though some of the staff members I've listed I'd doubt are the teasing type. 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Trolling does not agree with me...unless it's a clearcut joke that we both could laugh on. 

[FlitterFlutter 1,583]

As someone who can't take a joke (by my own admission) I would say NO personally. 

But staff makes friends just like everyone if they make friend's and know those friends are Okay with it, I have no problem.

[SparklingSquirrels 21,345]

MLP Forums staff or show staff? I think the forums staff already teases us  *cough*Lightwing 

As for the show staff, I don't think they need to troll in order to have fun interacting with the fandom  

[StrawCherry 1,673]

1 minute ago, SparklingSwirls said:

MLP Forums staff or show staff? I think the forums staff already teases us  *cough*Lightwing 

I actually thought this topic was about him.

[Kaneki 1,073]

1 minute ago, StrawCherry said:

I actually thought this topic was about him.

You mean "drunk Twilight Sparkle". I mean, look at his avatar.

https://mlpforums.com/profile/23431-lightwing/

 

[Jeric 46,852]

Curious topic. It contains musings on show staff as well as forum staff. The later I shall ignore as my opinion on that is already well known as I often interacted with this community playfully, always for mutual benefit. My opinion on the former depends entirely on one not being lazy with attributing a term. I am disinterested in doing the OP's work for him and defining how I look at either. I am also intrigued by the existence of this topic, so soon after a show staffer defended SugarMac which in turn initiated a strongly worded opinion thread by the same OP. That thread can be found here. There is something to be said about transparency. However, I do fancy being correct when I predict something. Many people here, and in other fandoms, tend to hyper-focus on a theme, until it is almost indistinguishable from their identity, real and perceived. Curious indeed. 

 

Since it takes a great deal to rustle my jimmies, I find no personal harm in show staff playfully teasing the fandom. Their personalities are not slaves or servants to the whims and predilections of the fans, and I tend to find humor from Haber, Larson, Strong, and New to be rather endearing. It makes them feel more accessible and ... real. My advice to anyone who feels that this approach is unpleasant is quite simple. Ignore it or listen to the VA of Grand Pear. 

[Lightwing 12,973]

2 hours ago, SparklingSwirls said:

MLP Forums staff or show staff? I think the forums staff already teases us  *cough*Lightwing 

As for the show staff, I don't think they need to troll in order to have fun interacting with the fandom  

 

2 hours ago, StrawCherry said:

I actually thought this topic was about him.

 

2 hours ago, AccountGone said:

You mean "drunk Twilight Sparkle". I mean, look at his avatar.

https://mlpforums.com/profile/23431-lightwing/

 

I actually thought this topic was about me when I saw the word "staff" and remembered my prank of a week ago  my reputation caused this, geethanks people

But just to be on topic... Nah, they shouldn't. And I speak as a staff member that does troll from time to time~!

[PiratePony 8,475]

5 hours ago, Jeric said:

I often interacted with this community playfully

Jeric is best former staff troll confirmed.

 

I think it's fine and all good fun. I loved that recent episode with all the fans losing their minds.

[FlowerSun 62]

So imagine MLP creator just go on here to troll. That's something i don't think would make sense since she's very talented and don't want to waste time on such stuff. But that would be pretty randomly interesting if that is one of their hobbies.

[Midnight Chimes 69]

What exactly is meant by trolling in this context? We need to clarify that first as it can be interpreted quite loosely. If it is really "all in good fun" then surely it IS a pleasant experience and vice versa. Bullying has been mentioned but I don't recall any show staff ever engaging in bullying so that's an irrelevant point. If we're talking about writers using scripts to call out, or troll, certain criticisms or behaviours in the fandom, Fame and Misfortune style, then there is no problem with that as long as it is done properly and is not obtrusive to the story being told. Unfortunately the aforementioned episode fails on both those accounts.

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

9 minutes ago, Midnight Chimes said:

What exactly is meant by trolling in this context? We need to clarify that first as it can be interpreted quite loosely.

What it usually means when someone has a grievance. That they said something someone did not like, and instead of shrugging it off and treating it for what it was, took it personally.