Should all of the mane six have romantic interests in the show?

[Wingnut 6,998]

There are enough programs focusing on boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. Do we really want to add MLP to that long list? I have a problem with peer pressure and the media routinely saying that anyone who doesn’t have a significant other is somehow inferior and those who do are better than them.  From an early age we are indoctrinated that romance is the key to perfect happiness and this is why most of us desire a mate so badly.  But guess what?  There are plenty of things worse than being "alone".  Being in a relationship with the wrong person is one of them.  Seriously, a lot of teenage angst and other problems could be averted if more value was placed on platonic friendships.  And yet, even the strongest bond between opposite sex buddies is dismissed by society because they are said to be "just friends" as if it means nothing. I find the fact that the Mane 6 feel happy and complete without relying on romance to be a refreshing change of pace from most of what we see on TV. 

[Sweet Dreams 1,893]

Well, for starters, it's called Friendship is Magic, not Relationships are Magic. It would really take away from the main purpose and message of the show. This is a show targeted towards young girls, remember, so it wouldn't be sending across a great message if suddenly all the Mane Six got boyfriends. It's sending across the message that girls need to be with someone to be happy. That kinda crap is why this show stands out in the first place.

Now, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to a just one of the characters getting a partner. It's not so much of a bad thing as long as they coax this guy into the show slowly, not just make him pop outta nowhere because the writers are lazy. XD

Although we are a large part of the fans of MLP, we have to keep in mind that there are a lot of very easily influenced children watching it as well. So yeah, what I said before, real relationship, yada yada...

[Xander 16]

No, definenetly not. You can't just pull that out of nowhere. Besides, its not what the show is about.

Although it would decrease the shipping in the community at least....

[RAGESTAR 479]

OK!! NOPONY LIKES THIS TOPIC!!! I GET IT!! JEEZ!! When I find out how to take thistopic off, its-going-down! Sorry everypony, consider this topic dead.

[Wingnut 6,998]

Chill out.  You're a relative newcomer who wasn't aware of the prevailing opinion in the forum.  And, to tell the truth, I'm kinda surprised as many people are opposed to it as there are.  Everybody in the forum has expressed an opinion at one time or another that goes over like a lead balloon.  It happens. 

 

Please don't quit just because of this. 

[)O( Scarlet )O( 1,259]

Not really, because well then it really wouldn't be suited for the chosen demographic then would it? It would just be selling out to the other teen drama shit

[MuniMoose 489]

we wouldn't mind this, it would allow a lot of new story to the show in our opinion but we would like to see it taken maybe in a direction like the power puff girls (the route rough boys) where they are enemies which would give more of an entertainment value to it then real relationships and also keep the shows general innocence with the younger majority  

[RockinRarity 1,605]

OK!! NOPONY LIKES THIS TOPIC!!! I GET IT!! JEEZ!! When I find out how to take thistopic off, its-going-down! Sorry everypony, consider this topic dead.

Sorry you are upset.

 

BUT I actually think this is a great topic, despite the overwhelming disagreement with your initial post. We aren't bashing you, and I hope that you don't see us as doing so. We actually got to talk about how romance fits into the show and what would happen if boyfriends were introduced, and how we feel about that. It has been interesting reading everyone's responses.

 

It is also allowing me to look back at when I was a little girl, and how I viewed romantic relationships up until I was in my early 20's. I had been hugely interested in romantic relationships ever since I was 5. I always had a crush on someone, or even more than one person at a time. It wasn't a big deal when I was a kid, but that seeped into my high school days, and that perspective plus the hormones raging in me... basically, I was miserable. And I didn't know what kind of guy to look for. I did know that he shouldn't be a jerk or abusive or begging for sex thanks to my Christian background, but I didn't know how he was supposed to love me. It wasn't just about me getting a boyfriend and then being happy. It is a LOT of hard work to be with one person and to stay with that one person, and it takes both parties to be extremely involved in order to keep the glue sticking.

 

I feel like if I learned earlier how to be just friends with a guy without developing crushes on guy friends, that would have benefited me. Conversations and compliments were triggers for me. And looking back, I realize just how ridiculous that was.

 

Now that I think about it, the show does need more men. But it needs to dive into male friendships, not romantic relationships. Sure we have Shining Armor, but he is Twilight's brother. And he is already married. It would be difficult to introduce one or two single colts into the show without any plans for romance, but I think that it could be done. And it would teach that you can be just friends with guys. Just a thought.

[Ganondox 899]

NO. That's one of the things that makes the show good, it's about girls without being clogged with romance and crap. This is not "Romance is Magic", it's "Friendship is Magic".

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

Sorry you are upset.

 

BUT I actually think this is a great topic, despite the overwhelming disagreement with your initial post. We aren't bashing you, and I hope that you don't see us as doing so. We actually got to talk about how romance fits into the show and what would happen if boyfriends were introduced, and how we feel about that. It has been interesting reading everyone's responses.

 

It is also allowing me to look back at when I was a little girl, and how I viewed romantic relationships up until I was in my early 20's. I had been hugely interested in romantic relationships ever since I was 5. I always had a crush on someone, or even more than one person at a time. It wasn't a big deal when I was a kid, but that seeped into my high school days, and that perspective plus the hormones raging in me... basically, I was miserable. And I didn't know what kind of guy to look for. I did know that he shouldn't be a jerk or abusive or begging for sex thanks to my Christian background, but I didn't know how he was supposed to love me. It wasn't just about me getting a boyfriend and then being happy. It is a LOT of hard work to be with one person and to stay with that one person, and it takes both parties to be extremely involved in order to keep the glue sticking.

 

I feel like if I learned earlier how to be just friends with a guy without developing crushes on guy friends, that would have benefited me. Conversations and compliments were triggers for me. And looking back, I realize just how ridiculous that was.

 

Now that I think about it, the show does need more men. But it needs to dive into male friendships, not romantic relationships. Sure we have Shining Armor, but he is Twilight's brother. And he is already married. It would be difficult to introduce one or two single colts into the show without any plans for romance, but I think that it could be done. And it would teach that you can be just friends with guys. Just a thought.

*slow clap*

 

This, times a billion.

 

This is actually a really mature lesson to teach kids of both genders, and I can totally see them having an episode with one of the CMC having a friend who is a dude and then learning that it's okay to be a girl and to have a friend who is a dude.

 

And to be honest, if the writers wanted to use romance or crushing as a theme, I'd be up for it. For instance, if the Sparity thing never "goes anywhere", have an episode where Spike deals with heartbreak. It wouldn't be melodramatic or anything, but would be treated with a measure of seriousness, teaching a lesson about how to cope with a crush who doesn't feel the same and how that kind of emotion changes as you get older.

 

But even if the writers decided to just throw up their arms and have a live interest, it could work. Just as long as the other half of the relationship is fully developed and it isn't written as some Nicholas Sparks romance. You can have a love story that isn't explicit and simply charts two characters growing together. Anybody ever play Final Fantasy VI or watch Adventure Time or Regular Show?

Edited May 5, 2013 by CITRUS KING46

[Shanks 10,816]

And it would teach that you can be just friends with guys. Just a thought.

That would be a good lesson to learn, I myself have had a few close friendships with girls myself even at a young age and did appreciate them for what they were though two of them were slightly awkward as the girls in question had a bit of a crush on me and I didn't feel the same way but there were also times where it was the other way around too. Though dating has eluded me in part due to me being extremely socially awkward and very misunderstood during most of my life due to having Autism, and all the responsibilities and tragedies that have happened in my life once I got out of high school like working, and having to take care of my father who was a dialysis patient(may he rest in peace) I am still grateful for those experiences both because I enjoyed their company and because my friendships with them have taught me valuable skills in how to treat women as if you can't even view a woman as a friend than how can she be your lover?

 

 

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of times when romance is depicted in shows especially ones geared toward girls that it is little more than Mary Sueish style wish fulfillment packed full of unrealistic cliches where everything is perfect and I think this does a disservice both because it is lazy writing/poor storytelling and because it gives people an unrealistic idea of what relationships are.

Edited May 5, 2013 by EarthbendingProdigy

[FatPat 77]

Liking the ideas on here about this subject.

 

I agree that having all six get boyfriends would be too much, but one of them getting involved in a relationship would be an interesting new concept for the show to explore. Personally I'd find it more interesting if it was one of the girls who everyone wouldn't expect, like AJ or RD, but it could work for any of them really.

 

Now the big problem is that there are very few established male characters on the show, so a new one would probably need to be introduced. That would result in a satellite character, and we do not want that. And even if someone like Soarin was brought back, it would still be the same problem as none of them have any established character. Even Big Mac has this problem, he's the most reoccurring male character next to Spike, but outside of Fannon we know almost nothing about him.

 

So for this to work, first a male character would need to introduced without the sole purpose of being someone's boyfriend. He'd need time to be established and developed so he could stand on his own four legs before the prospect of getting involved romantically with one of the mane 6 becomes a topic.

 

On the other hand, since this show is how friendship is magic, they could go for that angle instead. Imagine if one of the girls gets a crush on a guy, but gets friendzoned by him! I think it would be a neat idea. I almost always see nothing but stories where guys are getting friendzoned, never girls. Be a fun plot to use to mess with the audience's expectations.

 

Then the show could take a step back and let this male character be just friends with the girls. Give him a chance to become his own and get some development. Then maybe down the road the prospect of dating on of them could come up again and be realized.

 

Just some thoughts. In reality I doubt anything like that will ever happen on the show. The crew has come this far without bringing in the aspect of romantic relationships outside of the onesided Spike and Rarity, and I have a feeling they're going to keep it that way. And if Hasbro tells them to do another romance plot, they'll just do what they did with Shining Armor and Candace again, bring in some new characters out of the blue so that the girls won't have to get involved with anyone.

[Bhending the Rules 697]

The question of whether this is a good idea is kind of a moot point, because with the show still being primarily marketed at grade schoolers Hasbro will not go for extensive exploration of relationships and the drama that would inevitably result. For practical purposes, that is the beginning and end of the discussion.

 

Hypothetically, if that were not the case? I dunno... I gotta go along with the others who have said ALL of them having a boyfriend would be too much for the show to handle. I mean, we've had the Spike/Rarity dynamic, but since the "big reveal" we've had about 30 episodes without a mention of there being any sort of development on that front. It's been status quo ever since, and that dangling subplot seems like an awkward question that everyone is too polite to ask. ("Spike at Your Service" was supposed to be a Spike/Rarity episode, so maybe they DID have something planned at one point, but still.) If all of the Mane Six got boyfriends or crushes, would the same thing happen? I'm inclined to believe it would.

 

The good news is, for someone who WOULD like to explore this particular idea, there's always fanfiction.

[KitsuneSoul108 102]

i might as well give my opinion.I dont think all of the Mane 6 should have a romantic intrest.i think Rarity,maybe Twilight and maybe Fluttershy should.Fluttershy would be really shy(duh)but i think it would be possible.Twilight while being the book type,could possibly have a romantic interest.And Rarity.....Well,she already tried to get to Blueblood...Who knows?

[IronPonyApplejack 318]

I could see one or maybe two of them having crushes being the focus of a single episode, but the show overall doesn't need that.

 

More colts, maybe. But we're all here because we love the show like it is. It does just fine without them. And it certainly doesn't need romance. I agree with previous posters in that the Spike+Rarity plotline and Cadence+Shining Armor is enough. Spike's crush on Rarity is ADORABLE and it makes for good character moments and growth for Spike. And Cadence and Shining Armor not only opened up the plot to get to the Crystal Empire, but they showed that true love is an exceptional power magic. Beyond that, I don't think exploring romance (outside of a single episode, just for giggles) would benefit the show.

[Neon Fire 473]

Eh...  Maybe not all of them.  As others are stating, there's already Cadence and Shining Armor and a few other couples like the Cakes.  Although I wouldn't mind seeing Rainbow Dash and Soarin' together...

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

My idea could be an episode based upon Hearts and Hooves Day where the six ponies gets a date that I found somewhere on Fimfiction.

[crazitaco 596]

HELL. NO

why does every kids show these days have to have characters with romantic interests being forced on the audience?

take for instance, icarly, which was already bad. but the drama/romance thing between carly, sam, and freddie made it far more unwatchable than it was initially.

 

also to the OP, i wouldn't quite say this is a bad topic i see there's plenty of discussion goin on within it, and its something that i hadn't thought much about. so its an original topic, just one that alot of people don't seem to favor.

Edited May 7, 2013 by crazitaco

[Dashabel 381]

Maybe one character. An unexpected character. Umm.. Applejack or Dashie? I think it's be cute. It would make an interesting ONE episode only, though, I don't think any of them should build a long term relationship with any colts.. It's just weird. Anyway, who can deny they're all very happy with the friends they've got. :')

I think we should just leave that stuff for the fanfics, anyway.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Meadowsong

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

HELL. NO

why does every kids show these days have to have characters with romantic interests being forced on the audience?

take for instance, icarly, which was already bad. but the drama/romance thing between carly, sam, and freddie made it far more unwatchable than it was initially.

Yeah, but that was forced and written by guys who's writing abilities didn't extend beyond "HU-DUR, THAT GIRL IS EATING TACOS WITH HER FEET".

 

If the writers don't want to do it, then they shouldn't do it. If they do, I'm sure they'd put far more effort into it, like Adventure Time and Regular Show (I know I keep repeating that, but seriously, they handle this stuff extremely well).

[DoctorWhoovesandDerpy 13]

Well, my friend had the hots for AJ, but that went away

 

No. Just, no. If it would have romantic interests, (Especially Trixie and others.) ponies would freak! OCs might be married to the canon characters, and the would throw a hissy fit.

 

So, no.

[crazitaco 596]

Yeah, but that was forced and written by guys who's writing abilities didn't extend beyond "HU-DUR, THAT GIRL IS EATING TACOS WITH HER FEET".

 

If the writers don't want to do it, then they shouldn't do it. If they do, I'm sure they'd put far more effort into it, like Adventure Time and Regular Show (I know I keep repeating that, but seriously, they handle this stuff extremely well).

very good point. but i think making all six ponies just (somehow) find sudden romances in the show where the focus is friendship is just a bad idea. six dating ponies is too many. they don't even seem like the kind of characters that would date, except rarity.

also i'm not too familiar with adventure time, but i can't think of any major pairings in a kids tv show that i actually liked.

Edited May 7, 2013 by crazitaco

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

very good point. but i think making all six ponies just (somehow) find sudden romances in the show where the focus is friendship is just a bad idea. six dating ponies is too many. they don't even seem like the kind of characters that would date, except rarity.

also i'm not too familiar with adventure time, but i can't think of any pairings in a kids tv show that i actually liked.

Oh, of course we shouldn't have all six of them get boyfriends. Now that would be stupid. Two would be the maximum, and that's assuming we're doing both really well, where a lot of it is implied and not explicit, instead of them telling each other "I LUV U", and they snog in the rain, and it's all weird and bleh.

[dekutree64 713]

HELL. NO

why does every kids show these days have to have characters with romantic interests being forced on the audience?

take for instance, icarly, which was already bad. but the drama/romance thing between carly, sam, and freddie made it far more unwatchable than it was initially.

I never watched icarly specifically because of that. And it's NOT because "romance messes up shows". The problem is that the creator was annoyed at the fans for being so into shipping instead of just watching it for the platonic friendships, and specifically tried to sink all the ships to get them to cut it out. The worst possible thing to do. He should have either ignored it, or hired some fanfic authors to go ship crazy and give the fans what they wanted.

 

In pony context, that means either canonize Flutterdash, or no love interests. Before Twilicorn, it would have made a decent episode to have Twilight go through her first relationship/kiss/heartbreak with a random stallion of the day, being that she's almost definitely never experienced such things if she didn't even have platonic friends growing up (unless of course you go with all those Twi/Shining incest fics ), but now she seems too grown up and it wouldn't come off as being innocent enough.

 

Spike/Rarity is an interesting case, being that they have a major age difference and species difference, yet Spike is in some ways more mature than many of the mane 6, and Rarity does seem to care for him a lot. Not sure how I feel about going further with it in the show. There's also the option of him ending up with Sweetie Belle, but I'm not so sure that "if you can't get the girl, try her sister" is such a good message

 

So... personally I'd love to see Flutterdash, but there's no way Hasbro would want to deal with the controversy of a same gender couple in a show where even heterosexual relationships are iffy. And aside from that, I think Spike is the best option, being the only highly developed male personality on the show. But it's probably best to just continue avoiding serious relationships involving the main characters.

[Red Diamond 549]

No thanks.

 

It would turn out like a drama-queenish show if that actually happened.

Like Degrassi for example, it involves alot of drama-queen bullcrap, and stuff.

 

Once again, no thanks.

 

EDIT: If this actually came true, it would be 30 minutes of this:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2013 by Demeter