I just had a sad thought. Celestia is so busy being a goddess... that she lives the life she wish she could have through Twilight's letters. That's why she encourages Twilight and her friends to write them.

@David Really? It's that good?

@turtle She could disappear, leaving Luna in charge, and disguise herself and travel the world.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:11:46 PM by SkyStrike

@Ace WEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!1!

@Gex Did I hear someone say "weeaboo"?

@David: reviews or it didn't happen

@Celestia and Twi's Letters: Well now, I'm sure she has some awesome uppity maidpony in the palace who doesn't scrape and grovel like all the other Yes Mares.

No it is not. Fans are just saying it is, but it lacks the widespread fanbase, the widely-encompassing periphery demographic, and the memorable qualities.

It is funny, but nothing more, and comedies do not have the staying power that character-deconstruction-reconstruction-based shows have.

It is not the style or jokes or story that people remember, it is the characters.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:14:02 PM by ATC

Colorswap chart.◊

What channel does it even air on?

@Sky: What?

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Well, I didn't see it myself, but it seems to be going that way if the forum comments here, as well as YouTube is anything to go by.

@Orion Was that at the colorswap or the Perry Bible Fellowship?

Im not sure I could connect as well with a Barbie character as I can with MLP. I never had barbies as a kid, just MLP, and thats why I connect with them today. They are a reminder of my childhood ponies, and a well made resurrection of them to boot!

@Sky: The weeabo thing.

The thing is, while MLP is designed for a female audience, you can at least play off the ponies as a basic Funny Animal genre. I doubt most male audiences would take to watching the adventures of normal human girls, out open at least, though I suppose anything could happen after FIM.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:20:42 PM by Psi001

@Orion Perry Bible Fellowship is pretty dark, but I like it.

There's a difference between a show being decent/good and something like Fi M. The popularity of Fi M was due to a number of factors, not just the show's quality.

The problem with Barbie is that it isn't played out as well as ponies. That and Barbie hasn't done anything to distinguish herself from the generic consumer yuppie upper-middle-class bourgeois with childish power-princess fantasies. On the upside she's still better than the vapid and mindless Bratz. Ugh.

Compared to the ponies, who live in a well-conceptualized world rich with mythology almost like Gensokyo, and have varied and interesting and relatable characters, she simply cannot match up.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:21:16 PM by AceOfScarabs

@Turtle: I never touched MLP as a kid, and this show caught me just fine. I doubt the Barbie thing will catch on in the same way, but I suppose it's possible. I mean, if MLP can pull it off...

Well hello there, Psi! It's been a while since I last saw you here.

And Barbie? You know, I would say that's odd, but I'm the one of those people who already likes a little girl's show, so what do I know about odd stuff?

The funny thing is that the ponies mostly play out the mythos of old Greco-Roman stuff, as well as the classic D&D "End of the World again" scenarios, and yet they make it refreshing and new, kinda like how ZUN wove together the strands of old Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian myths with a little Western Vampire in the Scarlets, and made Gensokyo surprisingly different from the generic stuff you usually get from the Widget Fantasy genre.

...Well I suppose I might like my old mythologies and fairy tales (the good ones like the old Grimm stuff and the hardcore no-forgiveness-easily tales where evil stepmothers get shoved into barrels studded with nails).

edited 4th Aug '12 7:26:04 PM by AceOfScarabs

Marston: Yeah sorry I haven't been on here much. Took a bit of a break of FIM for a retro binge.

I admit after FIM, we've seen how far Periphery Demographic can extend. Still I'm cynical how many boys will openly watch Barbie.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:26:26 PM by Psi001

that's a really neat picture, really it is, but I have to ask.

what was the artist thinking by making the dragonshy dragon look absolutely fabulous!

AJ's and RD's character designs actually look pretty good with all of the other girls' color pallets.

I'm now imagining a scenario where somepony not familiar with Ponyville mistakes Pinkie for the witch from Hansel and Gretel and it isn't helped by a Discord-knows-how-it-got-there copy of Cupcakes.

@psi: Interesting Trivia: Barbie was adapted from a bowdlerised version of an adult's toy from about a century ago, I just cannot remember whether her precursor was anatomically correct.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:28:21 PM by AceOfScarabs

I thinks fans refer to it as the new Friendship is Magic, not because of the popularity but because, the show is major case of Surprisingly Improved Sequel, for audiences.

Now that just hypocritical.

edited 4th Aug '12 7:29:45 PM by DavidtheMouse14