Twilight had a huge arc in season 4 that was building her up

>>30219201
>What went wrong?
S5 is the beginning of the Glimmer era

>>30219215
Glimmer's been doing this series more favors than the mane 6 have considering how bland they are now. Now if only we could get a full cast replacement this show might actually have a chance of recovering

>>30219232
The Mane 6 are bland since the Glimmer era.

Really makes you think

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>>30219232

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>>30219232
>>30219237
Rarity episodes are the only thing keeping the m6 alive at this point

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>>30219238
How is it bait, friendo
nobody except autistic waifufags wants to see the same shitty uninspired characters for the fiftieth time
We need fresh faces like Glimmy and her friends

>>30219244
What's the matter, Anon?

Don't you like Fluttershy episodes where she learns to be assertive for the 12th time?

>>30219237
They were bland since they started repeating the same episode lessons.

>all career goals reached
>dozen baddies beaten
>starting to repeat episode lessons twice and even three times

they've maxed out their character development cards. new cast would work for a show like MLP.

>>30219250
The last "Fluttershy Episode" Fluttershy episode was Scare Master in season 5, and even that one's debatable

>>30219201
Well, she's a mentor now, and a more mature character. But, every season she has an episode or two where she still learn some leasons... like the episode with fucking Moon Dancer, or the 2 coming this season.

>>30219201
The map kept her away from anything interesting. We've even seen her tired and sleepy but we never actually followed her actions during that time. She was talking about how she's been doing stuff but that's about it.

You can argue that she was kept away because she would just resolve plots of the map episodes in a matter of minutes, but firstly, it would be possible to write around it if they wanted to, and secondly, there is no reason for her to not solve them, she is the princess of friendship. You'd think that her learning about it more (maybe with map just indicating where they arise across Equestria), and, more importantly, teaching about it would be the priority for her. Friendship lessons were basically out of question at that point anyway, the only pony to benefit from them is, again, Twilight. They could possibly work around her status and, even better, use it for more advanced plots. But no, that would mean she's still the "main character" or something and that wasn't the plan at that point. Besides, people don't like the Twilight Sparkle's show.

As for the old Castle, that shit doesn't sell toys. All it adds is deeper understanding of the history and lore, sisters' characters and gives Twilight perspective and guidance she so desperately needs to understand what being a princess actually means, preparing her for the enormous responsibility she'd have to take on in the future. And that obviously wasn't the plan as well.

S5 was where Twilight's involvement in the affairs started to diminish, continuing in S6 where she was only needed for Starlight, and finally in S7 where she's basically not needed anymore.

>>30219311
>mentor
Not a very good one
>more mature
Because her autistic fits in Starlight's map episode were real mature

>>30219347
at the end of the day it really is a 22-minute toy commercial. That said, even with the constraints these writers have imposed by suits, they shouldn't be struggling nearly this much to produce something quality. Even operating within the limits of the show (peddle this toy idea, make this the lesson at the end of the episode, etc) I've seen fanfic writers do way better with episode idea pitches.

>>30219366
We were still getting great episodes in S5, it's just that Twilight was kind of difficult to deal with when the focus started to shift. Giving other characters spotlight shouldn't be done by overshadowing others but they do exactly that, committing to Twilight's princess arc left her friends a bit behind, but then Twilight herself is eclipsed, making M5 even less relevant to the "plot".

The Elements are gone and the princess of friendship doesn't really do anything other than polishing the map in her lifeless and empty castle she got almost as a cheap sour fuck-off gift. She can't be shown as a good and active princess because including her in the stock plots wouldn't work, then they can't make her a good teacher for Starlight because if she's good then Starlight doesn't learn anything, as bizarre as it sounds (god forbid they actually show her lessons or acknowledge that Twilight isn't fit to be a teacher yet as she herself still learns). Where does she go from here?

I think she doesn't really fit in the typical 22-minute toy commercial episode anymore. Something like Amending Fences isn't really an average plot, even WAD? was digging a bit too deep and personal if we disregard its shaky execution. I think without making the actual Twilight Sparkle's Show it's now impossible to balance her and fit her back in as a meaningful character. Well, they can always alicornify her more and stuff her in the background with Celestia and Luna instead.

>>30219520
The Elements of Harmony need to be returned and the castle need to be destroyed!

>>30219247
Longer running series have had new characters join the cast without compromising the old ones. If it's really at the point that most of the original main cast can't be engaging anymore they should have ended FiM for Gen 5.

>>30219201
Trade Ya was actually really fucking pointless in hindsight. She just wasted a whole bunch of books.

>>30220155
And Twilight needs to get her wings cut off so that it's easier for you to write rape fanfiction about her?

>>30220555
With a lightsaber.

>>30219347

>she was only needed for Starlight

I don't get why people view this as bad. Twilight mentoring a reformed villain is a logical progression of the show. The only problem is that Twilight is a pretty shitty mentor and decided to "graduate" Starlight before teaching her anything really valuable.

>>30221228
This is exactly what my problem is. Instead of opening a new and fresh arc for Twilight this was kinda danced around by various means. The ill-fitted teacher Twilight would've kickstarted new development for her - she learned friendship, good, what about actually doing what princess does and bestowing it upon someone so desperately in need of it? And as it turns out she isn't ready for it, she can't mentor Starlight properly, she doesn't have any experience in it as she's still barely graduated herself. Trying to fix someone when she herself had doubts about her own place in this world just spells disaster.

And that would be ok. Push Twilight out of her comfort zone, make her experience new things again. Acknowledge she's flawed and make her learn from it. This would've taken her bond with Starlight on a whole another level. Maybe Starlight would learn that it's ok to make mistakes, maybe she'd be disappointed in Twilight but understand that it's not that easy, maybe she'd help her herself. And with their shared passion of magic they could've highlighted the difference in their approach to it, that the power isn't everything there is to magic and how it should be used without abusing it.

But instead nothing of the actual teaching is ever shown and when it is it's pretty disastrous but it's never presented as such. And then after some repeated "lesson" Starlight suddenly graduates. This accomplished nothing and Twilight was only formally present for the entirety of her first ever pupil's story with her. What could've been a powerful new arc for her only made her even more irrelevant.

Season 5 was a disaster. 6 went okayish and 7 at least is trying.
Secondary characters have got the ball rolling as of the last seasons we've seen.
Trixie turned from a pathetic defeated rival into a mischievious and morally ambigous friend for glim glam and, somehow, that spiced the show just enough to make it watchable.
I think the core of all our horsefucker problems was magical mistery cure.
They rushed twi's alicornification. In a dumb and lousy way. Ever since they made Twi an alicorn, there have been less challenges for her, and thus, that's made her a bland character.

>>30221840
She's not snarky enough anymore too. I get she can't be full on condescending like the earliest episodes because of her development but it would be nice to see that old charm here and there. I'd argue that persona was what drew a lot of fans into the show in the first place.

>>30221228
twilight's mentor arc has given absolutely nothing good for her character. it was only used to develop starlight. another example of the writers fucking up old beloved characters to make starlight seem better

>>30221877
Being snarky and sarcastic wasn't her only charm. For me personally it was also her endearing dedication, her willingness to participate in the community with varied degrees of success, her responsible attitude and fascination with the world. Some things changed due to progression, natural or forced, some remained the same, but they are kinda suppressed. She is still herself but her character isn't about this anymore, that's the thing. Oh, I sure love to hear how in S5 she still reads books a lot when half of the time she appeared in S1 she was actually seen reading them. Helping her friends and getting in all kind of unusual situations that she wasn't ready for and had a chance to shine in, showcasing her own unique personality that's different from other Ponyville ponies for better or for worse? Nah, we got map for this stuff, sit here while others do the job. I guess the S4 opener didn't really mean much in the end, the princess should stay back and let her friends do all the work after all.

They are shaving off this "fluff" in favor of different kind of things they need her to say and do now. All of the things she actually needs to do, her own things that Twilight Sparkle do, are left off screen. And don't forget that in S1 she had to appear in every episode to write a letter, so they had to build episode with her in mind. It obviously wouldn't have worked for long, but her input in most of S5 episodes was just "I wish I could go with you girls". That's it, that was her character. I sure do love seeing her for one minute into the episode and then nothing. Remember that absolutely sweet moment with Spike she had in Hearthbreakers? Yeah, that's about it for this week, now get out of the frame so we get to the real episode.

>>30219311
>she's a more mature character
nah

>>30219201
>what went wrong
she was a shitty boring character from the very start

>>30219347
In my opinion they wrote themselves into a hole by giving Twilight wings and princess status. The problems of
>"Uh oh, that thing is over there and my magic can't get it, if only -enter Pegasus- was here!"
Aren't available anymore. Starlight is honestly a replacement character. She wass made because they fucked up. Think about it.
>Is trying to learn friendship.
>Really good at magic.
>Student of a princess.
>Unicorn.
>Nerd.
She was made to replace what they fucked up as sad as it is. Honestly they could have wrote a better way to fix Twilight though.
>Something happens.
>Twilight loses her wings and castle to save -Enter name-!
>Oh no!
>Beats bad guy.
>Yay!
>"But what about your wings and castle!?"
>"I don't need them, while they were good I just don't think I'm ready to be a princess. All that matters is that i have my friends!"
Or some shit.

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>>30221212
>YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!

>>30219250
That's a meme tho. The only episode where she actually learns to be assertive is the breezies one. I dare you to think of at least another one guys.

>>30223218
She doesn't go casting spells on entire towns because of her paranoia.

>>30224567
If they really wanted Starlight to be Twilight 2.0 they failed. These things aren't what made Twilight the character she is, they come from different backgrounds and the approach they take to solving problems is different.

Both had difficulty fitting in at first, but the difference is that Twilight really tried to and after failing so much she managed to do it. She was a stranger because she was never put in such an inviroment before, just like we the viewers, and she treated it with care and respect.

Starlight, on the other hand, isn't really someone who doesn't know how things work. She had her own community after all. She is sociopathic and can't do friendship properly, the "normal way", but in the end it turns out it's ok, she can be like she is, just give her friends that support that. There is no integration (it was retconned), nothing new to explore anymore. On the contrary, Starlight being as she is turns out to be a good thing, like in Royal Problem.

I guess people can see her as a replacement if they only look for the snarky character that goes against the normal ways. Only this time going against the normal way IS normal, justified and even encouraged. She doesn't really learn from her mistakes and she doesn't right her wrongs. Twilight nearly destroyed Ponyville a few times but she also saved it. Starlight has a pretty safe enviroment and the only problems she has to solve involve her personally.

>I just don't think I'm ready to be a princess. All that matters is that i have my friends
That was already covered in S4 though. The wings themselves aren't the problem, they never were. The problem is that the writing couldn't keep up with the change they forced. It was severely underplayed and lacked direction and in the end it just crippled her character. And just as she started to recover the focus shifted on Starlight and here we are today.

>>30219201
so why was she made a princess before season 4 then?

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>>30225701
So they can start the season with her already being a princess?