Improvements in Mane 6 Characters

[PonyFunk 155]

What improvements in character development would you like to see in each of the Mane 6 characters?

 

Here's what I would like to see...

 

Twilight Sparkle:

 

More experience and wisdom in ruling.

 

Pinkie Pie:

 

Knowing when to be calm, collected, and more mature in certain settings.

 

Fluttershy:

 

Developing her social skills.

 

Rainbow Dash:

 

Less big ego, more caring and loving side of her.

 

Applejack:

 

Growing interest in culture and style other than "Southern" style.

 

Rarity:

 

More moments of generosity! Also a motherly side to her.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Twilight: God-tier OP at this point. Hell it's in her crown.

Fluttershy: Design flaw. Writers need to stop formulating her so inconsistently.

Rainbow Dash: Most interesting of the series. You can bend her character in any way and it'd still be believable.

Rarity: Her potential hasn't even been realized. Why? It's a waste.

Applejack: See above.

Pinkie Pie: If they'd introduce some dynamic personality trope to the series, PP would easily be the most interesting character in all of western animation.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Rarity - I'd definitely like to see more screen time of her; she's definitely a character you have to look at a bit before you can truly understand her, unlike Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie, who you can comprehend pretty quickly. Her moments of generosity have always been there, and will always be there, as she's a giving spirit, but they're very subtle. You have to look at it for a moment before you can see how generous she really is. So, I'd like her generosity to be more extroverted, because, let's face it, she's a bit of a Hepburn-esque character and that isn't a persona that does things subtly. Also, I'd like to see her make a better attempt to bond with Rainbow Dash; they don't seem to spend a whole lot of time together, and I feel that'd be a good experience for the both of them and maybe, just maybe, they'll get to understand their near-polar opposites a bit better. Furthermore, I'd like to see a gradual improvement of her dealing with kids the age of her little sister; it'd be something she'd have to work on, but I can tell she'd be a great mother to her child in their teenage years, however, I doubt that's the case for their younger years. Rarity can be a bit impatient and demanding at times, although she's very in-touch with society around her; she'd be the mom who took her teenage daughter to the salon and they got makeovers together, and she could find easy ways to bond with her child due to her knowledge of pop-culture and generally staying in touch with the world around her, but also displays the maturity and responsibility to play the role of a mother instead of being a best friend as well; she'd be an excellent mother to a late middle schooler all the way up to high school years. That's the problem; as shown, she doesn't generally seem to deal with Sweetie Belle very well, even though Rarity has displayed her affection for her numerous times. She can't deal with the younger ages, it seems, probably 12 and below, human years, and I think it'd be an interesting development to see her learn to cope with that age group better, because, let's face it, in Sisterhooves Social, she just ran out of patience repeatedly, realized her mistakes and the role she actually needed to be playing, and went all out to make up for it; I feel it'd be better to show her trying to deal with her troubles caring for one Sweetie Belle's age rather than just a "Boom boom boom bing clink lady-like sweet face" like she did in aforementioned episode.

 

tl;dr - Less subtle generosity and showing more patience with younger age groups.

 

Twilight - According to a good friend who is a Twilight fan and is pretty anti-Twilicorn, I'd have to say his feelings of her becoming overpowered and losing all relatibility would be something that needs to be worked on. I, personally, never related to Twilight all too much, but I can see where someone who once did could be distraught with the way she's become. She doesn't seem to be that adorkable, booksy unicorn anymore, she's a whole different character; the change hasn't worked, either, imho. She basically needs to get back to the grass roots of who she is and combine that with my second overall bitch about her. She needs to realize she's a princess and she needs to get some responsibility. She doesn't act like herself, nor does she act like a ruler, and the result is a character I feel is becoming dehydrated as dirt this season, albeit, I'll always still like the little pony.

 

tl;dr - Return to the same Twilight we saw in Seasons 1 & 2 while balancing that side of her out with her responsibilities as a princess, both of which seem to have vanished or have never appeared in the first place.

 

Rainbow Dash - UGHHH....Rainbow Dash is always a hard one for me, since I mask a lot of petty hostility towards her than I'm trying to work out. Personally, I think she's become a bit of a one track character. "Flying, Wonderbolts, Awesome, Rainbow, bleh." She's grown similar to her Friendship is Witchcraft counterpart to me. Certainly needs some added depth; like, with Rarity, you see her passion for fashion, but you also see her relationship with Sweetie Belle and her personal dream of fitting in with the higher class (which has led to me creating some badass headcanon for Rares; just saying.) I may be wrong, because I can't really write a wall of text for RD like I can Rarity, but all I see is "WONDERBOLTS FLYING PEGASUS RAINBOW AWESOME." She doesn't have too much depth. I feel diving into her relationship with Scootaloo was a good shot that was ruined by only seeing Scootaloo's side of things in Sleepless in Ponyville and just an overall shitty episode in Flight to the Finish. If they could dive into their relationship and provide a two-sided, more in-depth and realistic thing like Rarity and Sweetie Belle had in Sisterhooves Social, then fuccck, Rainbow would be a lot easier for me to enjoy.

 

tl;dr - Be more deep and show us more of what you care about past being a badass flyer; be more personal with other ponies, not just your dreams.

 

(Now for the shorter ones )

 

Pinkie Pie - She's become a tool for laughs, and most of the time they've been falling flat. If we can see more of her like she was in Pinkie Pride, then boom. Fixed. Seriously, she was fine to me the way she was pre-S3. Of course, S3 did nothing but create trouble for the fandom it seems, and Pinkie, Twilight, and Rarity fans all pretty much got ripped a new one.

 

tl;dr - Just go back to the way you were in seasons 1 & 2, dammit.

 

Fluttershy - It'd be really nice to see her do more with her animal-loving side. All we see is her shy side, and that irritates me. I think I'm one of the few who liked what Keep Calm and Flutter On did with her, even though I didn't like the episode, as was the case with almost that whole shit-fest that they called "Season Three." It put her in a role other than the shy one, which was nice; it played up her kindness. I'd like to see less "Stand up for yourself, Butterpony" and more of the other aspects of her character.

 

tl;dr - Stop being so one-dimensional with the shyness.

 

Applejack - Now, I thoroughly enjoy AJ's character as is. Barring Rarity, who I wrote ways she could stand to improve herself as a pony and not how she was being written should be improved (BECAUSE I FUGGIN' LOVE THE WAY MY WAIFU IS BEING WRITTEN ), like I did the rest, I gotta say, no gripes about AJ. She's an interesting character who's got a great balance of flaws and good traits. Keep doing what you're doing, AJ!
 

No tl;dr necessary for that one.

 

Yeahh, lemme point out that I offered ways Rarity could improve herself in universe rather than how she was being written, which, I offered ways the writers could improve the other 4 (barring AJ, who I had nothing to gripe about.) Rarity could stand to improve on those as a pony; as a character, she's being written perfectly
 

[An Old Head 4,816]

This thread appears to be discussing MLP:FiM in some way, shape or form. Thus, it has been sentenced to Show Discussion.

 

This is an automatically generated message, by the way.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Twilight can learn some more on being a princess and just being a ruler.

Pinkie can learn to be mature when a serious problem is going on

Fluttershy can learn to speak up

Rarity can learn to not use spike or sweetie belle as practically a slave

Rainbow dash can learn to be loyal to where her heart is true

Applejack can learn to be less stubborn.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Twilight: Balancing her out could be an improvement.

Rarity: More patience with a young age group, keep the generosity at a subtle level.

Pinkie Pie: Have her there for a purpose, not just for comedy or slapstick.

Rainbow Dash: Have the two sides of Rainbow Dash stay the same, the depth with her relationship with Scootaloo and have her loyalty not go against her in a bad way.

AJ: Know what to do with her, potential writers!

Fluttershy: Have her more than one-dimensional with just one thing that we know her for.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Rainbow Dash- Quoted from a thread I made a while ago

 

I'd like for Rainbow Dash to learn that she doesn't have to be cool/the best. While she's known for being pretty blunt at times, she actually can struggle with being herself. In Sonic Rainboom, she was compelled to put on a cocky and confident face while inside she just wanted to get away from everything. Her fear of not living up to everyone's expectations and messing up in public crippled her. In Mare Do Well, she hid just how bothered she was with how quickly a new hero replaced her in the eyes of the town and how quickly she became yesterday's news, showing only brashness and jealousy, and not how troubled she was. In Read it and Weep, she was afraid to let people know that she liked a freaking book. Seems to me that she'd be better off and happier being who she is and not trying to be who everyone (and she) thinks Rainbow Dash is/should be

 

Pinkie Pie- Just because she provides comic relief doesn't mean that she should be treated like a joke. I feel that earlier seasons did a better job at keeping her funny and random without being over the top and completely crazy, though she usually does better in episodes that she's actually the main focus of. I'd prefer for them to just tone it down a little in episodes where she's not the focus character (e.g, no completely forgetting everything that's going on if she sees a balloon )

 

Applejack- Implying Applejack isn't flawless

 

More seriously, she could stand to be less hard on herself, though she's already made significant progress towards that.

 

Fluttershy- Having her character development stick better is all I can really think of.

 

Rarity- She could stand to have her flaws played for laughs less often, but otherwise I have no serious issues with her character. She's the funniest character in the show, and it's perfectly easy to bring that out without making her look shallow or demanding or insensitive.

 

Twilight Sparkle- My main problem with Twilight is when the show seems to focus on her at the expense of other characters, though thankfully that's not as big of a problem outside premieres, finales, and movies. I guess that I'd prefer it if they emphasized her remaining flaws and showed me that she still has room to grow, because she's really hard for me to relate to these days. 

Edited February 7, 2014 by DashForever

[Wingnut 6,998]

You all made some good points and I'm generally in agreement with everything said thus far.    However, I'm beginning to suspect that when the Mane 6 returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, they each lost a little piece of themselves in the process.  That's why they're going around having to "relearn" something.  Rainbow Dash is the most flagrant example.  She was too eager to switch teams in Rainbow Falls.  RD wasn't truly herself again until she finally had that rainbow moment. 

 

Anyway, if the Mane 6 (or just Fluttershy, Twi, and AJ at this point in the season) are missing an important aspect of their own personality, that may throw a monkey wrench into the whole character development thing. 

[TwilightDreamer 69]

Frankly, as far as characterization for the girls goes, here's how I would see improvements:

 

 

Pinkie Pie: She doesn't take any particular situations seriously and she doesn't know that at times, she seems to cause more trouble that she usually solves and doesn't think before she even speaks. Also, what disappointed me about her is that she always tries to deflate a serious situation when really there was no time for that sort of thing like in the events of "The Crystal Empire". For her, I want her to mature throughout and laugh and have fun at points when she really wants to and to have a calm and collected head as well so that she's more than just for laughs.

 

Fluttershy: Fluttershy, I have the most sympathy for even though she's pretty much not wanting to be involved in society as much. She needs to know that she can't keep any joys tucked away from her hidden forever and that she has to face the outside world beyond the comforts of her friends and understand that not everything is apples and oranges with cuties and softies. The development of her social skills is the improvement I would want for her as well.

 

Rainbow Dash: My god, where in god's name do I begin? Throughout the episode, "Rainbow Falls", her loyalty's degraded throughout the episode until the end when she proves that she can't just abandon her friends for her own wants and needs. She doesn't seem to realize at points that her ever-growing desire is tearing her away from her friends and would ultimately cost them their friendship with her and her loyalty to them. She's a one-track character from the perspectives of everyone else who are fans of of her and they knew that it's sometimes disappointing, even me. I want her, in my mind, to develop a stronger sister relationship with Scootaloo so that we all see a different side of her; not the brash, cocky, arrogant and attention-grabbing type of pony but a truly loyal and beloved pony that we come to care about.

 

Applejack: So far, she seems to be pretty good. She's stubborn but that's who she is, stubbornness runs in the Apple Family. She does realize her flaws when they hit her hard at points and learns from them and when dealing with the honest truth to weed out the deeper reasons. No changes for would come to mind for now until later in the show although the improvements I have in mind for her was to realize "full" truths before she does anything stupid that could not only cost the pony cowgirl her friendship with the rest of the Mane 6 but also her love with Apple Bloom and to experience anything that doesn't revolve around western cultures and the Apple Family traditions like everyone else.

 

Rarity: She was so greedy in her own episode, taking advantage of her friendship with the other girls to win against Suri when she was the once copying the Ponyville Fashionita's style and she was being a douche up until she made amends with them. She has a motherly sensation but at times she tends to stretch it a bit and make it a bit far-fetched at points so I would guess as well that both her generosity need to be improved and her motherly instincts along with her love for Spike, slowly starting to realize that Spike is unlike anypony that she would consider charming in her eyes and that he's more than just a baby dragon.

 

Twilight Sparkle: I understand that she's not accustomed to being a princess since she's a princess-in-training but she still needs to handle the situation as calm, as collected, as diligent and as thorough and as wise as possible thanks to her many years in training in magic. She seems to be taking some situations into account at times for the good of everypony and not her friends and it also could be the reverse too in certain points. She also gets nervous about some decisions made by her and her freinds, individually or together and she doesn't step in enough to come to a solid conclusion that benefits both the ups and downs of everypony. For me, like everyone else, I would want her to put her years of experience and and her wisdom the way it was meant to be used as in seasons 1+2.

 

 

So far, this is all I got for needed for the Mane 6, for now. If there are any other improvements that anyone else would add to what others and myself got, then let us in on them, we're all ears.

[Whatevs 377]

Twilight: either stop treating like the specialest snowflake or make her princesshood have more of an impact on her character

 

Fluttershy: You all know

 

Pinkie: more depth than just depressed and ecstatic

 

AJ: more depth than advice giver, have her be flawed

 

Dash: less I'm da coolest

 

Rarity: Ironically needs the most work despite having the stronger character.

Lots of people have kind of said this but I'm going to go with it anyway.

 

Quite simply she needs to stop being greedy and selfish for jokes. Use that time to leverage her generosity and compassionate side. And if you need her to be funny, just have her be her neurotic, theatrical and eccentric self.

Doing what you're doing just makes her moments when she does act out of element seem 'business as usual' and simple selfishness rather than her being hysterical and forgetting herself as they really are (seriously, every episode where she's allegedly selfish she's really just being histrionic, but in different ways). And it simply provides an ex post facto rationalization for people to not like her, and they're right to see it as a genuine problem even if they are using it to shallowly justify their disdain for her being a fashion diva.

 

She doesn't really need much character fixing aside from deciding how her relationship with Spike is supposed to work and sticking with it rather than jerking us around.

[PrymeStriker 408]

I only have suggestions on Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

 

Fluttershy - The writers need to stop play half-ass with her. They make an episode regarding her shyness or meekness, attempt to flesh out in some sort of plot, and a few episodes later or by the end of the episode, her personality is reset.

 

Rainbow Dash - The same thing happened here with The Mysterious Mare Do Well. They tried to pull her head out of her ass, and we see by season four that nothing has changed and she mentions how 'awesome' she is in every other episode.

 

The writers better do something with them already. I already hated Rainbow Dash, but the recent episode is putting Fluttershy in the same boat.

[~Sole~ 852]

I only have suggestions on Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.Fluttershy - The writers need to stop play half-ass with her. They make an episode regarding her shyness or meekness, attempt to flesh out in some sort of plot, and a few episodes later or by the end of the episode, her personality is reset.Rainbow Dash - The same thing happened here with The Mysterious Mare Do Well. They tried to pull her head out of her ass, and we see by season four that nothing has changed and she mentions how 'awesome' she is in every other episode.The writers better do something with them already. I already hated Rainbow Dash, but the recent episode is putting Fluttershy in the same boat.

dash has improved dramatically, I don't know where your getting her being the exact same. Yes she may still act like she's all that, but that's in her character. Hell, it's one of her defining traits. I don't WANT them to take it away. And like I said, she has developed. she's become more caring, less selfish, and much more empathetic then when she started. Same with all of the mane 6, they're all much better then when they started their adventures. Except maybe fluttershy... But still, they've all developed a lot.

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I only have a suggestion on two ponies... Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

 

Applejack- I'm sorry, but really? Why did she turn into a total jackass in Season 4? I don't understand...

 

Pinkie Pie- We need the old Pinkie. Period.

[PrymeStriker 408]

dash has improved dramatically, I don't know where your getting her being the exact same.

She was full of herself in Season 1

 

She's still full of herself

 

Yes she may still act like she's all that, but that's in her character. Hell, it's one of her defining traits.

It's the reason I hate her. It's the perfect opportunity for character development, and the writers aren't doing anything for her at all. She's learning the same stupid lessons over and over and very little changes.

 

And like I said, she has developed. she's become more caring,

She's supposed to be loyal to her friends. That's her element. She didn't need to learn what she should've already knew.

 

less selfish,

What should've been put towards her arrogance was used to make her less selfish, which is something she wasn't to begin with.

 

and much more empathetic then when she started.

A subtle change used for plot in Sleepless in Ponyville that was never focused on is far from deep character development.

 

Same with all of the mane 6, they're all much better then when they started their adventures.

All of the others have. These two haven't come very far at all. The best thing they've done for Rainbow Dash is that she likes to read books now. 

[~Sole~ 852]

She was full of herself in Season 1

She's still full of herself

 

 

It's the reason I hate her. It's the perfect opportunity for character development, and the writers aren't doing anything for her at all. She's learning the same stupid lessons over and over and very little changes.

 

 

She's supposed to be loyal to her friends. That's her element. She didn't need to learn what she should've already knew.

 

 

What should've been put towards her arrogance was used to make her less selfish, which is something she wasn't to begin with.

 

 

A subtle change used for plot in Sleepless in Ponyville that was never focused on is far from deep character development.

 

 

All of the others have. These two haven't come very far at all. The best thing they've done for Rainbow Dash is that she likes to read books now.

really? I'd say she's by far the most developed out of all the mane 6, rarity or twilight being second. Arrogant? Yep. But so what? That's one of the things I like about her. And your saying she's not empathetic? The very thought of betraying her friends in rainbow falls drove her crazy with guilt, she even went as far as refusing both sides so as to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. As well as being someone for scootaloo to look up to, she's damn good at being a big sis if you ask me. And if you still hate her just because of her awesome personality then that's okay, but it's not gonna change just because you think it's a problem. Me and thousands of other people like her just the way she is, so deal with it Edited February 16, 2014 by ~chaotic biscuit~

[Whatevs 377]

Twilight: God-tier OP at this point. Hell it's in her crown.

Fluttershy: Design flaw. Writers need to stop formulating her so inconsistently.

Rainbow Dash: Most interesting of the series. You can bend her character in any way and it'd still be believable.

Rarity: Her potential hasn't even been realized. Why? It's a waste.

Applejack: See above.

Pinkie Pie: If they'd introduce some dynamic personality trope to the series, PP would easily be the most interesting character in all of western animation.

 

Twilight: God-tier OP at this point. Hell it's in her crown.

Fluttershy: Design flaw. Writers need to stop formulating her so inconsistently.

Rainbow Dash: Most interesting of the series. You can bend her character in any way and it'd still be believable.

Rarity: Her potential hasn't even been realized. Why? It's a waste.

Applejack: See above.

Pinkie Pie: If they'd introduce some dynamic personality trope to the series, PP would easily be the most interesting character in all of western animation.

those are a little vague, elaborate please?

[PrymeStriker 408]

So, I managed to accidentally click away while typing this out. Now I have to rewrite everything. Yay.
 

really? I'd say she's by far the most developed out of all the mane 6, rarity or twilight being second.

I think Twilight is the best developed by season three, Applejack and Rarity for second and third. Pinkie's been rather static.
 

Arrogant? Yep. But so what? That's one of the things I like about her.

I tend to dislike arrogant characters in general.
 

And your saying she's not empathetic? The very thought of betraying her friends in rainbow falls drove her crazy with guilt, she even went as far as refusing both sides so as to avoid hurting anyone's feelings

Doesn't this fall under the category of loyalty more-so than a sign of empathy?
 

As well as being someone for scootaloo to look up to, she's damn good at being a big sis if you ask me.

That's what was being referred to in my previous post.
 

And if you still hate her just because of her awesome personality then that's okay, but it's not gonna change just because you think it's a problem.

This thread asks us to list our personal improvements in regards to the mane six. My post was completely in response to that. I could care less what other fans may like about Rainbow Dash. Also, you're right. They're never going to resolve this, because we're apparently getting another five years of this show.

[~Sole~ 852]

So, I managed to accidentally click away while typing this out. Now I have to rewrite everything. Yay.

 

 

I think Twilight is the best developed by season three, Applejack and Rarity for second and third. Pinkie's been rather static.

 

 

I tend to dislike arrogant characters in general.

 

 

Doesn't this fall under the category of loyalty more-so than a sign of empathy?

 

 

That's what was being referred to in my previous post.

 

 

This thread asks us to list our personal improvements in regards to the mane six. My post was completely in response to that. I could care less what other fans may like about Rainbow Dash. Also, you're right. They're never going to resolve this, because we're apparently getting another five years of this show.

uh... When did I mention her loyalty? My point WAS to point out her empathy, because you were basically claiming she had no empathy. And I know you were just making your response, but saying dash has no character development is just plain wrong. And I know you didn't just say AJ has developed more then dash, now that's just bull. I love AJ, she's my second favorite of the mane 6, but to say she has more character development then dash is just not true.

[PrymeStriker 408]

uh... When did I mention her loyalty?

You didn't. I brought it up. Choosing between groups is a matter of loyalty.

 

My point WAS to point out her empathy, because you were basically claiming she had no empathy.

I said that her empathy was a subtle change made during "Sleepless in Ponyville" for plot. She hasn't used this much since.

 

And I know you were just making your response, but saying dash has no character development is just plain wrong.

I never said she had no character development. My statement regarded that the writers have done nothing to develop her brash attitude.

[~Sole~ 852]

I only have suggestions on Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.Fluttershy - The writers need to stop play half-ass with her. They make an episode regarding her shyness or meekness, attempt to flesh out in some sort of plot, and a few episodes later or by the end of the episode, her personality is reset.Rainbow Dash - The same thing happened here with The Mysterious Mare Do Well. They tried to pull her head out of her ass, and we see by season four that nothing has changed and she mentions how 'awesome' she is in every other episode.The writers better do something with them already. I already hated Rainbow Dash, but the recent episode is putting Fluttershy in the same boat.

you literally come out and say she hasn't changed and that her personality is the exact same. And that's what character development is, developing and changing as a character. By your claims she's the same brash character she's been since episode one. But that's not true. And I'd say the rainbow falls thing could count for both loyalty and empathy, she just couldn't betray her friends like that.

[PrymeStriker 408]

you literally come out and say she hasn't changed and that her personality is the exact same.

Everything I said was in regards to her arrogance. You even admit that she's still arrogant.

 

Rainbow Dash - The same thing happened here with The Mysterious Mare Do Well. They tried to pull her head out of her ass, and we see by season four that nothing has changed and she mentions how 'awesome' she is in every other episode.

By your claims she's the same brash character she's been since episode one. But that's not true.

 

I've repeatedly stated that she's still as full of herself as she was in episode one.

 

And I'd say the rainbow falls thing could count for both loyalty and empathy, she just couldn't betray her friends like that.

And she had this same test in the pilot with the Shadow Bolts, which only proves my point that they're repeating plot lines with her.

[~Sole~ 852]

Everything I said was in regards to her arrogance. You even admit that she's still arrogant.

 

 

 

 

I've repeatedly stated that she's still as full of herself as she was in episode one.

 

 

And she had this same test in the pilot with the Shadow Bolts, which only proves my point that they're repeating plot lines with her.

I did say she's arrogant, and I like that about her usually. but you said she was 'as full of herself as she was in episode one'. Which is the same as saying her personality is the same, but she has changed. She may talk a big game, but she's shown that she's not as cocky and arrogant on the inside as she wants everyone to believe. Quite the opposite in fact. She's insecure, so she acts as big and bad as possible to hide that. She may be really arrogant, but a lot of the bravado is just for show. Anywho, I think we're kinda derailing this thread. So let's just agree to disagree shall we?