this would be horrible, if only because it would shift the focus over to making the show about teen relationship drama. i would lose all interest in the show just because there is no way it can be handled well.
LurkyMcLurkerson - 9 years ago
I'm down as long as all the love interests are batponies.
Anon - 9 years ago
No one steals mai waifu, NO ONE!!!
Badly Drawn Turtle - 9 years ago
@Jags The way I see it, the Season 2 Finale was okay romance-wise because it was two side characters, like in ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’. Cadance and Shining Armor are introduced to us as characters in love, so there's no messing with a character we already know to make the romance happen.
This may be the longest I've seen one of these polls stay up. Did you run out of ideas, Seth?
Jags - 9 years ago
Nope. Friendship is Magic is one of the few shows I watch, and a big reason for it is because there's good character development without the "romance" garbage most shows aimed at adults have.
What we have now is perfect, because while the two romantic relationships in the show are shown, they aren't the focus at all and they really aren't over-the-top(but Season Two's finale is okay with me because of the music and changelings lol). They are subtle and normal relationships, just like in real life.
Sunshine - 9 years ago
I voted that I don't care either way, but after reading some comments, I'm reminded the romance in the show wasn't as fun to see as other things, because humor applied to romance in mlp only made it cliche, amplified by the fact that it has to be easily understood and therefore unsubtle/not romantic. (for the kids)
I literally was not entertained at all by Flash/Twilight ship, I literally forgot about it until reminded.
If one is added, I agree with the people that say they shouldn't be introduced as a symbol of love interest first, and only second be given a personality. (if ever since Flash Sentry is only ever shown in relation to the rel and nothing else)
HonoraryCMC - 9 years ago
I would say it's interesting. However it couldn't be handled in a way relative to a kid's show. If they do this, I want to see the foundation of an actual romantic relationship. Basically the next step from friendship between 2 close individuals. They can throw in that whole love at first sight thing, but I want to see them actually get to know the other character and develop a romantic feeling towards them. I want to see a real relationship.
Sindraq - 9 years ago
Well... I replied that I wouldn't like it but I would get over it. Actually it is a bit more like between that answer and the "worst thing" answer. This show has done so great without having to rely on some cheap romantic stuff. It is bad enough that they put in Flash Sentry in the EG films (Praise Trixie for stopping them). If it would come to actual dating, I think they would screw things up big time. I don't mind the occasional shipping implication, like the Big Mac - Cheerilee stuff, or the LyraBon ship in EGRR, actually I really like those. But lets keep to what everyone does best, and leave the heavy shipping to FIMFiction.
Niraos - 9 years ago
If RD ever gets a b/f, it would should be Soarin'. They have a lot in common and are also opposite enough for it to work. Though RD saved Soarin' enough already, let Soarin' do it once. There's been some development there to work with at least.
Even if it doesn't happen, can we just have an episode with them together working as a team or something?
rusticware - 9 years ago
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no. You've got 6 ponies each still with their own stories to tell, there's so much there to pull from without adding half assed romance stories to complicate the issue and drag the season off course. People above already stated that in a season of 26 episodes if all the mane 6 hooked up all you'd get is a bunch of rushed romance stories horribly executed for the sake of brevity. Also I have absolutely ZERO faith in anyone at DHX or Hasbro to craft a well thought out evenly paced romance between one of the mane 6 and their boy/girlfriend what with the bang up job they've done so far with Twilight and Flash Sentry in Equestria Girls.....ugh. And i'd go so far as to say i'd be done with the series if a Hasbro mandate came down to make it so for the sake of pushing "couples" toys down the throats of the fans for the sake of money
Oros_Abaddon - 9 years ago
"That's weird. Is this High school? I wonder how it's gonna go over."
So I would basically still watch them all. I think the writers have done a good job when they've been told to do stuff they didn't originally plan *cough* Equestria Girls *cough*.
Pappari - 9 years ago
I'm terrified by the idea. Not because of concept itself but how horribly it could end up. It could bring something new and fresh for the show if written well. Coming up with six interesting stories on how two ponies hook up might be aiming to high. Also having to deal with six new characters alongside with mane six probably would end up damaging the show. In other words, this could work with one or two characters and if written well I'd be gladly welcoming the new addition to the group.
Vandroiy - 9 years ago
People dislike change, but unchanging entertainment is boring. Also, "there is no such thing as bad publicity".
If they find good writers for it, it could be great. But it would emphasize incoherent character designs, so setting priorities between design and "political correctness" would be in order.
With Hasbro's hostility to any target audience except older generations of conservative US-Americans, I don't expect much. They couldn't have Derpy on the show; they went so far as to censor themselves! They shut down Jan animations, who did harmless joke videos! They probably couldn't even have a lesbian on the show. I doubt any result would be nearly as interesting as the ships the fandom comes up with.
Gokudomatic - 9 years ago
Those who said yes, why ya all want so much to add lovey-dovey bullshit everywhere? Go watch a sitcom instead. Lauren Faust did the right choice to add it sparsely. Just a little. It's like salt, you know. Add a little and it gives a great taste, add a lot and it tastes aweful.
OneOverTwo - 9 years ago
Dang it voters! Part of what makes the show work a well as it does is the fact that it's not "distracted" by romantic subplots! Sure it COULD work, but it'd be unlikely to ESPECIALLY if it had to be done with ALL of the Mane six in ONE season. That's just a recipe for overly rushed romance stories.
sandal - 9 years ago
usually i would color myself interested, but could take it or leave
now, if two of the mane six hooked up with each other, i couldnt ask for anything more in life
Badly Drawn Turtle - 9 years ago
@proptimus Oh, look. A bigot. Hello, bigot, how are you today?
proptimus - 9 years ago
v I'm all for that. Fuck lesbian shipping. It's goddamn cliche. Not that it wasn't disgusting to begin with. Let's do something new, shall we?
Yordna - 9 years ago
You mean just boyfriends, right? Hasbro doesn't have the balls to pull a lesbian relationship in a show rated TV-Y.
Skywrite - 9 years ago
I don't know if I would like it; I would have to see how they play it all out first and who gets hooked up with who, but I do have faith they'd do a good job portraying how romantic relationships flourish.
But no matter what they end up doing, if they were to do this, many ships will be destroyed by the canon, and many shippers will cry.
EquestriaDailyPollDiscuss - 9 years ago
It depends on who it is and what the pony's personalities are like whether you like it or not. If you don't like it then don't say you're done with pony forever, that just means you will never watch MLP:FiM again. You're just done with season 5 that's all.
Gokudomatic - 9 years ago
Romance for the 6 manes would just make the whole show booooooring, with overused clichés and everything revolving around love and sex. We've already more than too much series like that, as well as we've already too much series about humans.
And if the show get boring, people will of course stop to watch.
Ebonysdagger - 9 years ago
Well, I can honestly say I would probably stop watching the show if that happened. I have yet to watch any show, and I do mean any, that decided to deal with romance or love interests for already established characters and continue to remain true to the original reason they were entertaining. Such things suddenly eat up the plot lines and screen time that could have better been spent on more entertaining, and frankly for my taste interesting, pursuits and antics.
Part of why I liked this show was because it unlike so many shows, both for males and females, it had kept away from pointless things like romance and as such I would be very disappointed if it spent even a sliver of time on such things. I can tolerate some humor making fun of crushes as they have through Rarity twice now and even some hinting as they've done with Fluttershy but anything more would be too much.
Why would anyone think this would happen anyway? I would think it would take too much work and some of the fun out of the job for the writers to have to shoe horn in six new male characters to pair off with the cast from no where.
don - 9 years ago
watch. . .
Green isn't your color
Secret of my success
Dragon Quest
Crystal empire
Inspiration manifestation
Sure glad ol Precious Scales got his 'crush' rewarded with kisses and hugs .
You LBGT,XYZ shippers are a rough crowd.
Rockpath5 - 9 years ago
I quite literally would stop watching the show. I like shipping, but we have seen how this show does love interests: it is atrocious. Canon love interests for the mane six would destroy the show, utterly.
DarkPillWarrior - 9 years ago
After all I read from the comments... I can see that we all have our own beliefs... All I can say is... for the most part people really don't care according to the poll #'s... I don't think it will really damage the show more than other episodes in the past has. Honestly... I really don't care if they do romance or if they don't do romance... I mean it isn't our show, we watch it yes, but we don't make the show so why cry over spilled milk? Anyway those are my thoughts about this.
Tavilicious - 9 years ago
Hrm, Well I would honestly have to say that FiM has been perfectly fine for four seasons (well, perhaps more honestly three, provided we forget about THAT season) so far without requiring the addition of romantic interests/partners for the main characters.
So I would have to say "If it's not broken, don't go trying to fix it". The writers do not seem to be suffering from any lack of inspiration so far, it would be a little sad to see them at this point dropping FiM into the well-worn rut that is televised dating.
As well, adding dating to FiM would probably be an unending headache for the writers. You know some bronies would be screaming at them "Why is pony X shipped with pony Y? Worst...Ship.. Ever!". Some would be complaining over that there is even dating in the series. Some will be complaining if they are all in heterosexual relationships howling for their heads stating "You hate all (insert orientation of preference here)!". If they DO include non-heterosexual dating, then the parents would be screaming for the writers heads on a platter.
Plus there is the fact that they seemingly are unable to actually write a love interest character without
relying heavily on referencing "The hack writers guide to clichéd character development". Brad/Flash has to be one of the worst characters I can ever unfortunately recall being introduced as the token love interest. Do we really need another five Brad/Flash characters in FiM? >_
DAPLR - 9 years ago
Depends, if it's lashlight, it can fuck off the edge of my dick. However, if it's Rarijack, Flutterdash or Twixie, it's the greatest thing!
I came to read the comments. Didn`t expect them to be so long.
i like that they make a bit of realism in these perfectly written characters, and i want them happy.
Im all into the "interesting" option of this poll
Joshua - 9 years ago
Mane 6 getting hooked up with dates? I'd like to see where THAT goes.
Guest - 9 years ago
I don't have a problem with it as long as it's done well. And as long as they have boyfriends and not girlfriends. It would really be uncomfortable to watch this show tackle homosexuality, and it would feel really out of place.
@Meneth I'm glad Faust is gone because while I respect her for the world she has created, Meghan McCarthy is doing a much better job running the show. And there's NOTHING wrong with girls having boyfriends. The fact that some people think so boggles my mind. I'm glad this show isn't spreading the horrible message that boys are evil and that girls would be better off not wanting anything to do with them.
Meneth - 9 years ago
They should've left Lauren Faust in charge. Then this wouldn't have even been a silly poll.
LunaSayles - 9 years ago
....>.> FluttershyxDiscord OTP!!!
In all seriousness, as long as the love interests have more personality than Flash Sentry, then I'm all for it.
Harwire - 9 years ago
It's polls like this that tell Hasbro that no matter how badly they make the series sink with product placement and poor design choices such as more princesses and outlandish "Toy selling" pony races, the "Brony" ship will still sail through what seems to be brainwashing and peer pressure to be flamed by the whole community for daring to criticize the show. Fanaticism is magic?
In a few years, we'll look back at all this and say, "Hot damn, how stupid we were, we could had stopped it".
John - 9 years ago
I'm not against romance in the series, but having more than one or two per season would be a terrible idea.
sulPSulk - 9 years ago
@PinkieKeen Just a minor comment, since we're not putting links to websites: I was replying to someone called "don" in the comments, who said it was an 'organic relationship'. Word for word:
"Organic relationships Yes, Like Trenderhoof / Sparity, Dashin , Flutter Mac/CherriMac (Catfighting!)
Got to learn about the real life stuff, Sooner than later.
Note : Using the Cakes guide to offspring- With all the hugs Spike gets from Rarity She should of had a litter of Pongon- Dracony- Kirins long ago."
And on that note, like a lot of our ships (My own being Raridash and, something I forgot to include, Twijack), I agree with you that they are probably not going to happen, Sparity even less so.
Senk - 9 years ago
Girlfriends?
Oh my.
PinkieKeen - 9 years ago
@sul I don't think randompony was saying that there are any hints of a Sparity romantic relationship; rather, I think he/she was just saying that it was never really a thing and most likely never will be, as you stated in your response. I for one agree as well. Sparity is the product of ship fics and wishful thinking.
I really don't think MLP will ever establish canon lesbian/gay pairings because of a fear of backlash from the parents who deem anything other than heternormative as "inappropriate" for children's shows. I believe that this will change in the future as more and more, queer culture is becoming more widely accepted and integrated into the mainstream.
But for the sake of Season 5, I think that "coltfriends" would be interesting, so long as the ponies don't adopt stereotypical "boy crazy" personas, which is very much out of character. Even Rarity who has ogled over stallions in the past does not make it the main focus of her life. She is very much career oriented. I think that Season 5's arc will include a lot of traveling to new places and solving widespread problems such as "Equalist" cutie marks. I really don't see there being enough time for romance anyway unless it's done in a way that doesn't hinder the story arc and still allows for the Mane 6's character development. I could see romance being more feasable maybe in later Seasons when the girls, namely Dash and Twilight, settle more into their careers before taking on something more. Applejack is so into her life on the farm that I'm sure that any romantic relationship could not get in the way of that. She'd be more likely to meet and marry a farm pony. Pinkie...well...she doesn't strike me as interested in romance at this stage. The only stallion who could understand her craziness would be Cheese Sandwich, but I don't think either one would take a relationship that seriously. Flutter shy and a stallion could work! She's such a sweetheart and would work well with an equally gentle and kind stallion. I'm not much of a shipper myself but I like the idea of her and Bulk Biceps, since he seems to be a lovable guy despite a tough outward appearance. Fluttershy has a large capacity to love considering how she's always caring toward others. Heck, she would make a great Crystal Princess if she weren't so shy---I mean...please don't tell Cadance I said that. Rarity has only obsessed over celebrities and I think it would be interesting for her to fall for a common pony for once who treats her far better than the ones she's chased after. Dash has come a long way, but I don't even know if she has room for relationship aside from her own egotism. Twilight...she has so much responsibility that I couldn't even imagine her with a stallion at this point. If it does happen, he'd also have to be smart since she probably could not tolerate a relationship where he couldn't hold an intelligent conversation. He would have to have a lot in common with her to even keep that relationship going. I'm discounting Flashlight because it is nothing but infatuation.
Those are just my thoughts though!
splashybacon - 9 years ago
@ Badly Drawn Turtle : Eeup, there's no way I would actually expect that at this point to be true (Pinkie colt friend thing). Even so-called spoilers from the source of the show seemingly tease and taunt the fandom. (Here's lookin' at you MA Larson, the biggest tease of all) I remember last year when everyone was waiting for Season 4, an insider "leaked" Pinkie Pie becoming the "Princess of Pie" for episode 18. In their defense though, they did say it was a joke or a tease or something. False hype just keeps you busy while waiting for the season start which is agonizingly long this year.
Badly Drawn Turtle - 9 years ago
@splashybacon I can't believe I forgot about that! LyraBon is practically canon already! Of course, having a lesbian couple as side characters actually lowers the need for a lesbian love interest for a mane character…
I haven't seen anything about Pinkie getting a coltfriend, though, so I wouldn't put too much stock in that.
@sulPSulk Neither had I heard about this lesbian Frozen kerfuffle until just now, so it probably wasn't too big of a deal (though I could have simply been visiting my friend under the rock at the time). There are always people causing an uproar over nothing; and it's nothing to worry about. I doubt Hasbro would be deterred by a few uneducated Southerners screaming on the Internet; there are uneducated people screaming on the Internet about everything from the Bush Administration conspiring to take down the Twin Towers (Just to be clear; they didn't. Just… no. It's so far in the other direction from reality that I get depressed when I see someone spouting that nonsense.) to Elvis not being dead. Only if it moves into real life does it need to be seriously considered.
splashybacon - 9 years ago
And if there is shipping campaigning going on... (*shameless plug commencing*) .... Rarijack please! But the writers/animators may already favor that banter-material-treasure mound if there was an intraMane 6 ship. The whole opposites thing is to good not to draw from, and they already have in one sense.
splashybacon - 9 years ago
I'm not really sure about any love interest becoming canon. That's not to say that I do not ship, but I have preference for certain shippings and I'm sure others might not absolutely be thrilled at it. It's funner for everyone when the show stays in the ship free zone; that way you have a blank template that anyone can work off of and turn it into whatever you want.
However........ looking at Lyra/Bonbon shipping.......couldn't help but notice the conspicuous nod to this ship in Rainbow Rocks. Makes me giddy at the prospect of a same sex pairing actually getting air time in an American cartoon. There needs to be more of it. Wasn't the earliest depiction of same sex coupling in an American cartoon in "Superman the Animated Series"? The lady cop had a female love interest.
One more thing, and I don't know if it's an actuality or not, but season 5 looks to give Pinkie a coltfriend, so maybe that "blank template" won't be so blank anyway. Maybe we'll have shipping campaigners in the future of FiM, jk....
Amm - 9 years ago
So why are the options:
Okay
Okay
Okay
NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Really okay
I dunno
That seems pretty disingenuous. Makes you look like an asshole to anyone that has a differing opinion.
TWA - 9 years ago
For those who think a same-sex pairing can't happen in an American cartoon: There was a same-sex couple in Cartoon Network's Clarence ("Neighborhood Grill" was the episode, if you're interested; it is quite obvious as well). The door's open, so to speak, so while it would take some guts to have a same-sex couple in FiM, it isn't impossible. That being said, while I wouldn't like a THEME of finding romantic pairings, I certainly would not be against one or two of the Mane 6 finding love, nor would I necessarily be against all of them doing so eventually.
sulPSulk - 9 years ago
As a generally 'fervent' shipper of some Mane 6 shippers and a disliker of maybe half of the Mane 6 shipers (Or maybe ambivalent to them all), this news carries a mixed feeling.
On the one hand, it would destroy the ambiguity that we had, as fans, as to what kind of relationships the Mane 6 characters, the ones that mean the most to us in the show no doubt, they could have. Also, whatever decision is being made as to who the Mane 6 might end up with, I'm positive that almost no one will be truly happy with, especially people like myself.
At the same time, though, it would be because of the potential sh*tstorm of the decision that makes the Mane 6 getting together with some six stallions (Let's not kid ourselves into thinking that Hasbro would portray them as anything but straight as a goddamn fiddle) very... intriguing. It's not something that incites any deeper thinking personally (I've not caught on the Season 4 episodes yet) but it is still something worth mulling about from time to time as to who they might choose.
Basically, who the hell knows what would happen in Season 5?
I don't know.
You don't know.
And we all don't know.
So the best course of action is likely to just wait, whatever our opinions, even if they foretell of a grim future for the series or if it sparks interest. Kinda pointless to prophesise, since none of us have any definitive proof. (Maybe we come close to it, but we're still not certain. Heck, they gave us four seasons of relatively smooth sailing episodes, all things considered)
If you've read this far, congrats! I'm going to give my own thoughts on some of the comments.
@Badly Drawn Turtle I'm honestly rather sceptical still in spite of the points that you have made, especially in the face of criticism against a character like Elsa from Frozen, of all things, for being 'lesbian' and the movie having symbolism regarding it, in spite of the movie being centered around kinds of love other than romantic. So I'm not positive that Hasbro, after seeing this, would greenlight episodes showcasing the Mane 6 in lesbian relationships, much less with each other.
And on that note, Raridash Raridash Raridash...
@don Sparity is not an organic relationship: It is born from one drake's crush on another pony, which is not true for the pony to the drake. Even if you figure that it's enough for the relationship to be one-sided or think that Rarity should just reciprocate the feelings already (Ignoring the glaring age difference and mental age difference), Season 4 seems to show him growing less attached to Rarity.
For one, I doubt that the early Spike would do what current Spike did in Inspiration Manifestation without at least a little persuasion from Twilight.
...I wonder if any of this will be replied to. Perhaps I've just written a wall of sh*t and never realised it.
randompony - 9 years ago
The reason why I say "coltfriend" is because I don't think Hasbro would establish canon same-sex couples in MLP. I also don't think Sparity would happen, considering how much it is emphasized that he is a kid and Rarity is a full grown mare who fantasizes about being with other stallions.
randompony - 9 years ago
I actually think that the incorporation of romance could open the door for new friendship lessons, such as not meddling in another pony's relationship, making sure to set time apart for friends, and being honest with one's feelings when a friend is constantly choosing the coltfriend over her own friends.
roboTurkey - 9 years ago
I feel like this would be an interesting dynamic to add to the show. It's not unprecedented either... There are a few married couples shown in Equestria so I don't see this outside of the realm of possibility. As far as same-sex pairings, I honestly don't see the show going in that direction simply because all of the romantic couples shown so far have been heterosexual. And if anything the mane six lean towards being straight based on how they acted when Trenderhoof showed up.
hifibrony - 9 years ago
Both silvadel and Badly Drawn Turtle make some excellent points with which I agree. And Appledash lurks around the fringes of my neadcanon, especially after that lovely "Angels" comic of last year.
MidnightDawn - 9 years ago
It would be interesting to see but they would have to introduce the characters and have the main 6 truly get to know the them before they got together. Unlike what they did with flash, twilight meets him and instantly fell in love.
Got to learn about the real life stuff, Sooner than later.
Note : Using the Cakes guide to offspring- With all the hugs Spike gets from Rarity She should of had a litter of Pongon- Dracony- Kirins long ago.
Badly Drawn Turtle - 9 years ago
About possible lesbian parings in the actual show: It may seem unlikely at first, but if you think about it… it's almost more likely than a heterosexual paring.
First off, there's the ‘girl power’ dynamic that the show tends to orient around; if a romantic relationship developed, it would (hopefully) be done with the specific intent to avoid the male-dominance that tends to infect romance stories. The most obvious way to do that? Don't add a male to the picture.
Secondly, the stories that could be explored with a lesbian relationship (especially one that develops within a friend group [AppleDash, for instance]) are less explored and potentially more enticing to the writers than the standard TV pairings.
Third, and most importantly, we are living in a changing social dynamic. In fact, America is close to the tipping point: Gay rights are inevitable now, and so we are beginning to see a shift. A shift in what? Company behavior, of course! When overwhelming consensus builds on a specific social issue, companies in all areas, but especially media producers, change their ways. It isn't a matter of passive, ‘go with the flow’ behavior; but of market forces. Companies will hold back at the old standard right up to the tipping point. Then, when public opinion has clearly, irreversibly changed, savvy companies will rush forward to hold the flag, in a combined attempt to stay in good graces with the audience and to garner popularity as a trend-setter for the new social norm. What does all this mean? I believe (I'm not 100% sure, I admit) that gay characters and relationships are about to become the new trend in television. It's already happened in Britain (Doctor Who has been in on it for a few seasons, now… ever since Captain Jack, actually), so it's only a matter of time. And space. And a crossover that really should happen but probably won't. Wait, that's off topic, isn't it?
Am I presenting evidence biased towards my hopes, here? Certainly. But it's something to think about, for sure.
{Funny thing about AppleDash; if it was actually done in the show, Ashleigh Ball would have to have romantic conversations with herself.}
silvadel - 9 years ago
I don't like it, but nothing they could really do to the show would stop me from watching it.
Twilight is kind of too busy to be hooking up.
Pinkie Pie hasn't shown any real tendency towards even trying.
Rainbow Dash again hasn't shown any real tendency, but I could see her and say Soarin if they keep kicking that puppy and RD shows more loyalty to the poor wonderbolt who is on the way out.
Fluttershy? What she does with Harry the bear is her own business.
AJ -- Too busy with the farm to really be looking unless love came to her. Even so the farm would fall apart.
Rarity -- loved and lost enough times while treating most stallions as servants. She may be farther away than any of them even though she is seeking such.
Marcusfenix102 - 9 years ago
It could be done well, but it all depends on who is being shipped with who. It's all about presentation.
If it's presented in an organic and meaningful way, it could be done well.
If it's just thrown in and the relationship feels shallow, then it shouldn't exist at all in the show.
(also, there's no possible way Hasbro would green light a blatant lesbian relationship in MLP)
hifibrony - 9 years ago
No, Neigh. NEVER!!
The essence of the show is the friendship between the Mane Six. Needless complications should be avoided and IMO it runs contrary to the ethos of the show as it has been established. Leave the shipping to the fanfic writers. I would be sorely disappointed in the creative staff if this happens and it would be the glass eye in the forehead of the show.
Appletini - 9 years ago
I picked this could be interesting, but do any of you really believe that a American children's cartoon would have homosexuality in it? I get this is just for fun, but still.
Mares Fillies - 9 years ago
I think if it's done well, and the love is justified I can see it being interesting. :) I'll be excited for that. XD
anon - 9 years ago
Thank you for saying boyfriends and girlfriends. My little queer heart is warmed. /)
Solecks - 9 years ago
It need more situations like the Trenderhoof one, you know, a real friendship vs boyfriend, fight
LOL! Seth, you tease! Hooking up everypony with a love interest is anathema with the underlying theme of everypony is different with dreams and aspirations that are independent of gender politics. Mix in love interests and this could go two ways. Either the mane six drop everything and talk about stallions most of the time, or the Mane Six becomes the Mane Twelve, plus Spike. Can you think of any action/adventure show where pairing off the entire cast to newcomers/background characters in the fifth season has worked?
Medicine Cat - 9 years ago
I certainly want all the ponies to find emotional fulfillment, but I think sexualizing them would essentially end the show as we've known it.
Badly Drawn Turtle - 9 years ago
I almost picked option one, just for fun.
I guess if the show was otherwise still good, I'd get over it. But such a theme, to me at least, bodes ill of the show's future story-telling prospects. It's one thing to have one or two characters hook up (AppleDash AppleDash AppleDash AppleDash), but matching them all stops feeling like character development and steps into the realm of copy-pasting stories.
One of the major factors of whether such a show would still be good is how much of a role these new partners play. If they show up in most episodes as asides, not drawing undue attention to themselves and the romance when the episode is about something else, then that is good. However, if every single episode turns into some sort of romance-drama, that's bad. Really, really bad.
this would be horrible, if only because it would shift the focus over to making the show about teen relationship drama. i would lose all interest in the show just because there is no way it can be handled well.
I'm down as long as all the love interests are batponies.
No one steals mai waifu, NO ONE!!!
@Jags The way I see it, the Season 2 Finale was okay romance-wise because it was two side characters, like in ‘Hearts and Hooves Day’. Cadance and Shining Armor are introduced to us as characters in love, so there's no messing with a character we already know to make the romance happen.
This may be the longest I've seen one of these polls stay up. Did you run out of ideas, Seth?
Nope. Friendship is Magic is one of the few shows I watch, and a big reason for it is because there's good character development without the "romance" garbage most shows aimed at adults have.
What we have now is perfect, because while the two romantic relationships in the show are shown, they aren't the focus at all and they really aren't over-the-top(but Season Two's finale is okay with me because of the music and changelings lol). They are subtle and normal relationships, just like in real life.
I voted that I don't care either way, but after reading some comments, I'm reminded the romance in the show wasn't as fun to see as other things, because humor applied to romance in mlp only made it cliche, amplified by the fact that it has to be easily understood and therefore unsubtle/not romantic. (for the kids)
I literally was not entertained at all by Flash/Twilight ship, I literally forgot about it until reminded.
If one is added, I agree with the people that say they shouldn't be introduced as a symbol of love interest first, and only second be given a personality. (if ever since Flash Sentry is only ever shown in relation to the rel and nothing else)
I would say it's interesting. However it couldn't be handled in a way relative to a kid's show. If they do this, I want to see the foundation of an actual romantic relationship. Basically the next step from friendship between 2 close individuals. They can throw in that whole love at first sight thing, but I want to see them actually get to know the other character and develop a romantic feeling towards them. I want to see a real relationship.
Well... I replied that I wouldn't like it but I would get over it. Actually it is a bit more like between that answer and the "worst thing" answer. This show has done so great without having to rely on some cheap romantic stuff. It is bad enough that they put in Flash Sentry in the EG films (Praise Trixie for stopping them). If it would come to actual dating, I think they would screw things up big time. I don't mind the occasional shipping implication, like the Big Mac - Cheerilee stuff, or the LyraBon ship in EGRR, actually I really like those. But lets keep to what everyone does best, and leave the heavy shipping to FIMFiction.
If RD ever gets a b/f, it would should be Soarin'. They have a lot in common and are also opposite enough for it to work. Though RD saved Soarin' enough already, let Soarin' do it once. There's been some development there to work with at least.
Even if it doesn't happen, can we just have an episode with them together working as a team or something?
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no. You've got 6 ponies each still with their own stories to tell, there's so much there to pull from without adding half assed romance stories to complicate the issue and drag the season off course. People above already stated that in a season of 26 episodes if all the mane 6 hooked up all you'd get is a bunch of rushed romance stories horribly executed for the sake of brevity. Also I have absolutely ZERO faith in anyone at DHX or Hasbro to craft a well thought out evenly paced romance between one of the mane 6 and their boy/girlfriend what with the bang up job they've done so far with Twilight and Flash Sentry in Equestria Girls.....ugh. And i'd go so far as to say i'd be done with the series if a Hasbro mandate came down to make it so for the sake of pushing "couples" toys down the throats of the fans for the sake of money
"That's weird. Is this High school? I wonder how it's gonna go over."
So I would basically still watch them all. I think the writers have done a good job when they've been told to do stuff they didn't originally plan *cough* Equestria Girls *cough*.
I'm terrified by the idea. Not because of concept itself but how horribly it could end up. It could bring something new and fresh for the show if written well. Coming up with six interesting stories on how two ponies hook up might be aiming to high. Also having to deal with six new characters alongside with mane six probably would end up damaging the show. In other words, this could work with one or two characters and if written well I'd be gladly welcoming the new addition to the group.
People dislike change, but unchanging entertainment is boring. Also, "there is no such thing as bad publicity".
If they find good writers for it, it could be great. But it would emphasize incoherent character designs, so setting priorities between design and "political correctness" would be in order.
With Hasbro's hostility to any target audience except older generations of conservative US-Americans, I don't expect much. They couldn't have Derpy on the show; they went so far as to censor themselves! They shut down Jan animations, who did harmless joke videos! They probably couldn't even have a lesbian on the show. I doubt any result would be nearly as interesting as the ships the fandom comes up with.
Those who said yes, why ya all want so much to add lovey-dovey bullshit everywhere? Go watch a sitcom instead. Lauren Faust did the right choice to add it sparsely. Just a little. It's like salt, you know. Add a little and it gives a great taste, add a lot and it tastes aweful.
Dang it voters! Part of what makes the show work a well as it does is the fact that it's not "distracted" by romantic subplots! Sure it COULD work, but it'd be unlikely to ESPECIALLY if it had to be done with ALL of the Mane six in ONE season. That's just a recipe for overly rushed romance stories.
usually i would color myself interested, but could take it or leave
now, if two of the mane six hooked up with each other, i couldnt ask for anything more in life
@proptimus Oh, look. A bigot. Hello, bigot, how are you today?
v I'm all for that. Fuck lesbian shipping. It's goddamn cliche. Not that it wasn't disgusting to begin with. Let's do something new, shall we?
You mean just boyfriends, right? Hasbro doesn't have the balls to pull a lesbian relationship in a show rated TV-Y.
I don't know if I would like it; I would have to see how they play it all out first and who gets hooked up with who, but I do have faith they'd do a good job portraying how romantic relationships flourish.
But no matter what they end up doing, if they were to do this, many ships will be destroyed by the canon, and many shippers will cry.
It depends on who it is and what the pony's personalities are like whether you like it or not. If you don't like it then don't say you're done with pony forever, that just means you will never watch MLP:FiM again. You're just done with season 5 that's all.
Romance for the 6 manes would just make the whole show booooooring, with overused clichés and everything revolving around love and sex. We've already more than too much series like that, as well as we've already too much series about humans.
And if the show get boring, people will of course stop to watch.
Well, I can honestly say I would probably stop watching the show if that happened. I have yet to watch any show, and I do mean any, that decided to deal with romance or love interests for already established characters and continue to remain true to the original reason they were entertaining. Such things suddenly eat up the plot lines and screen time that could have better been spent on more entertaining, and frankly for my taste interesting, pursuits and antics.
Part of why I liked this show was because it unlike so many shows, both for males and females, it had kept away from pointless things like romance and as such I would be very disappointed if it spent even a sliver of time on such things. I can tolerate some humor making fun of crushes as they have through Rarity twice now and even some hinting as they've done with Fluttershy but anything more would be too much.
Why would anyone think this would happen anyway? I would think it would take too much work and some of the fun out of the job for the writers to have to shoe horn in six new male characters to pair off with the cast from no where.
watch. . .
Green isn't your color
Secret of my success
Dragon Quest
Crystal empire
Inspiration manifestation
Sure glad ol Precious Scales got his 'crush' rewarded with kisses and hugs .
You LBGT,XYZ shippers are a rough crowd.
I quite literally would stop watching the show. I like shipping, but we have seen how this show does love interests: it is atrocious. Canon love interests for the mane six would destroy the show, utterly.
After all I read from the comments... I can see that we all have our own beliefs... All I can say is... for the most part people really don't care according to the poll #'s... I don't think it will really damage the show more than other episodes in the past has. Honestly... I really don't care if they do romance or if they don't do romance... I mean it isn't our show, we watch it yes, but we don't make the show so why cry over spilled milk? Anyway those are my thoughts about this.
Hrm, Well I would honestly have to say that FiM has been perfectly fine for four seasons (well, perhaps more honestly three, provided we forget about THAT season) so far without requiring the addition of romantic interests/partners for the main characters.
So I would have to say "If it's not broken, don't go trying to fix it". The writers do not seem to be suffering from any lack of inspiration so far, it would be a little sad to see them at this point dropping FiM into the well-worn rut that is televised dating.
As well, adding dating to FiM would probably be an unending headache for the writers. You know some bronies would be screaming at them "Why is pony X shipped with pony Y? Worst...Ship.. Ever!". Some would be complaining over that there is even dating in the series. Some will be complaining if they are all in heterosexual relationships howling for their heads stating "You hate all (insert orientation of preference here)!". If they DO include non-heterosexual dating, then the parents would be screaming for the writers heads on a platter.
Plus there is the fact that they seemingly are unable to actually write a love interest character without
relying heavily on referencing "The hack writers guide to clichéd character development". Brad/Flash has to be one of the worst characters I can ever unfortunately recall being introduced as the token love interest. Do we really need another five Brad/Flash characters in FiM? >_
Depends, if it's lashlight, it can fuck off the edge of my dick. However, if it's Rarijack, Flutterdash or Twixie, it's the greatest thing!
I came to read the comments. Didn`t expect them to be so long.
i like that they make a bit of realism in these perfectly written characters, and i want them happy.
Im all into the "interesting" option of this poll
Mane 6 getting hooked up with dates? I'd like to see where THAT goes.
I don't have a problem with it as long as it's done well. And as long as they have boyfriends and not girlfriends. It would really be uncomfortable to watch this show tackle homosexuality, and it would feel really out of place.
@Meneth I'm glad Faust is gone because while I respect her for the world she has created, Meghan McCarthy is doing a much better job running the show. And there's NOTHING wrong with girls having boyfriends. The fact that some people think so boggles my mind. I'm glad this show isn't spreading the horrible message that boys are evil and that girls would be better off not wanting anything to do with them.
They should've left Lauren Faust in charge. Then this wouldn't have even been a silly poll.
....>.> FluttershyxDiscord OTP!!!
In all seriousness, as long as the love interests have more personality than Flash Sentry, then I'm all for it.
It's polls like this that tell Hasbro that no matter how badly they make the series sink with product placement and poor design choices such as more princesses and outlandish "Toy selling" pony races, the "Brony" ship will still sail through what seems to be brainwashing and peer pressure to be flamed by the whole community for daring to criticize the show. Fanaticism is magic?
In a few years, we'll look back at all this and say, "Hot damn, how stupid we were, we could had stopped it".
I'm not against romance in the series, but having more than one or two per season would be a terrible idea.
@PinkieKeen Just a minor comment, since we're not putting links to websites: I was replying to someone called "don" in the comments, who said it was an 'organic relationship'. Word for word:
"Organic relationships Yes, Like Trenderhoof / Sparity, Dashin , Flutter Mac/CherriMac (Catfighting!)
Got to learn about the real life stuff, Sooner than later.
Note : Using the Cakes guide to offspring- With all the hugs Spike gets from Rarity She should of had a litter of Pongon- Dracony- Kirins long ago."
And on that note, like a lot of our ships (My own being Raridash and, something I forgot to include, Twijack), I agree with you that they are probably not going to happen, Sparity even less so.
Girlfriends?
Oh my.
@sul I don't think randompony was saying that there are any hints of a Sparity romantic relationship; rather, I think he/she was just saying that it was never really a thing and most likely never will be, as you stated in your response. I for one agree as well. Sparity is the product of ship fics and wishful thinking.
I really don't think MLP will ever establish canon lesbian/gay pairings because of a fear of backlash from the parents who deem anything other than heternormative as "inappropriate" for children's shows. I believe that this will change in the future as more and more, queer culture is becoming more widely accepted and integrated into the mainstream.
But for the sake of Season 5, I think that "coltfriends" would be interesting, so long as the ponies don't adopt stereotypical "boy crazy" personas, which is very much out of character. Even Rarity who has ogled over stallions in the past does not make it the main focus of her life. She is very much career oriented. I think that Season 5's arc will include a lot of traveling to new places and solving widespread problems such as "Equalist" cutie marks. I really don't see there being enough time for romance anyway unless it's done in a way that doesn't hinder the story arc and still allows for the Mane 6's character development. I could see romance being more feasable maybe in later Seasons when the girls, namely Dash and Twilight, settle more into their careers before taking on something more. Applejack is so into her life on the farm that I'm sure that any romantic relationship could not get in the way of that. She'd be more likely to meet and marry a farm pony. Pinkie...well...she doesn't strike me as interested in romance at this stage. The only stallion who could understand her craziness would be Cheese Sandwich, but I don't think either one would take a relationship that seriously. Flutter shy and a stallion could work! She's such a sweetheart and would work well with an equally gentle and kind stallion. I'm not much of a shipper myself but I like the idea of her and Bulk Biceps, since he seems to be a lovable guy despite a tough outward appearance. Fluttershy has a large capacity to love considering how she's always caring toward others. Heck, she would make a great Crystal Princess if she weren't so shy---I mean...please don't tell Cadance I said that. Rarity has only obsessed over celebrities and I think it would be interesting for her to fall for a common pony for once who treats her far better than the ones she's chased after. Dash has come a long way, but I don't even know if she has room for relationship aside from her own egotism. Twilight...she has so much responsibility that I couldn't even imagine her with a stallion at this point. If it does happen, he'd also have to be smart since she probably could not tolerate a relationship where he couldn't hold an intelligent conversation. He would have to have a lot in common with her to even keep that relationship going. I'm discounting Flashlight because it is nothing but infatuation.
Those are just my thoughts though!
@ Badly Drawn Turtle : Eeup, there's no way I would actually expect that at this point to be true (Pinkie colt friend thing). Even so-called spoilers from the source of the show seemingly tease and taunt the fandom. (Here's lookin' at you MA Larson, the biggest tease of all) I remember last year when everyone was waiting for Season 4, an insider "leaked" Pinkie Pie becoming the "Princess of Pie" for episode 18. In their defense though, they did say it was a joke or a tease or something. False hype just keeps you busy while waiting for the season start which is agonizingly long this year.
@splashybacon I can't believe I forgot about that! LyraBon is practically canon already! Of course, having a lesbian couple as side characters actually lowers the need for a lesbian love interest for a mane character…
I haven't seen anything about Pinkie getting a coltfriend, though, so I wouldn't put too much stock in that.
@sulPSulk Neither had I heard about this lesbian Frozen kerfuffle until just now, so it probably wasn't too big of a deal (though I could have simply been visiting my friend under the rock at the time). There are always people causing an uproar over nothing; and it's nothing to worry about. I doubt Hasbro would be deterred by a few uneducated Southerners screaming on the Internet; there are uneducated people screaming on the Internet about everything from the Bush Administration conspiring to take down the Twin Towers (Just to be clear; they didn't. Just… no. It's so far in the other direction from reality that I get depressed when I see someone spouting that nonsense.) to Elvis not being dead. Only if it moves into real life does it need to be seriously considered.
And if there is shipping campaigning going on... (*shameless plug commencing*) .... Rarijack please! But the writers/animators may already favor that banter-material-treasure mound if there was an intraMane 6 ship. The whole opposites thing is to good not to draw from, and they already have in one sense.
I'm not really sure about any love interest becoming canon. That's not to say that I do not ship, but I have preference for certain shippings and I'm sure others might not absolutely be thrilled at it. It's funner for everyone when the show stays in the ship free zone; that way you have a blank template that anyone can work off of and turn it into whatever you want.
However........ looking at Lyra/Bonbon shipping.......couldn't help but notice the conspicuous nod to this ship in Rainbow Rocks. Makes me giddy at the prospect of a same sex pairing actually getting air time in an American cartoon. There needs to be more of it. Wasn't the earliest depiction of same sex coupling in an American cartoon in "Superman the Animated Series"? The lady cop had a female love interest.
One more thing, and I don't know if it's an actuality or not, but season 5 looks to give Pinkie a coltfriend, so maybe that "blank template" won't be so blank anyway. Maybe we'll have shipping campaigners in the future of FiM, jk....
So why are the options:
Okay
Okay
Okay
NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Really okay
I dunno
That seems pretty disingenuous. Makes you look like an asshole to anyone that has a differing opinion.
For those who think a same-sex pairing can't happen in an American cartoon: There was a same-sex couple in Cartoon Network's Clarence ("Neighborhood Grill" was the episode, if you're interested; it is quite obvious as well). The door's open, so to speak, so while it would take some guts to have a same-sex couple in FiM, it isn't impossible. That being said, while I wouldn't like a THEME of finding romantic pairings, I certainly would not be against one or two of the Mane 6 finding love, nor would I necessarily be against all of them doing so eventually.
As a generally 'fervent' shipper of some Mane 6 shippers and a disliker of maybe half of the Mane 6 shipers (Or maybe ambivalent to them all), this news carries a mixed feeling.
On the one hand, it would destroy the ambiguity that we had, as fans, as to what kind of relationships the Mane 6 characters, the ones that mean the most to us in the show no doubt, they could have. Also, whatever decision is being made as to who the Mane 6 might end up with, I'm positive that almost no one will be truly happy with, especially people like myself.
At the same time, though, it would be because of the potential sh*tstorm of the decision that makes the Mane 6 getting together with some six stallions (Let's not kid ourselves into thinking that Hasbro would portray them as anything but straight as a goddamn fiddle) very... intriguing. It's not something that incites any deeper thinking personally (I've not caught on the Season 4 episodes yet) but it is still something worth mulling about from time to time as to who they might choose.
Basically, who the hell knows what would happen in Season 5?
I don't know.
You don't know.
And we all don't know.
So the best course of action is likely to just wait, whatever our opinions, even if they foretell of a grim future for the series or if it sparks interest. Kinda pointless to prophesise, since none of us have any definitive proof. (Maybe we come close to it, but we're still not certain. Heck, they gave us four seasons of relatively smooth sailing episodes, all things considered)
If you've read this far, congrats! I'm going to give my own thoughts on some of the comments.
@Badly Drawn Turtle I'm honestly rather sceptical still in spite of the points that you have made, especially in the face of criticism against a character like Elsa from Frozen, of all things, for being 'lesbian' and the movie having symbolism regarding it, in spite of the movie being centered around kinds of love other than romantic. So I'm not positive that Hasbro, after seeing this, would greenlight episodes showcasing the Mane 6 in lesbian relationships, much less with each other.
And on that note, Raridash Raridash Raridash...
@don Sparity is not an organic relationship: It is born from one drake's crush on another pony, which is not true for the pony to the drake. Even if you figure that it's enough for the relationship to be one-sided or think that Rarity should just reciprocate the feelings already (Ignoring the glaring age difference and mental age difference), Season 4 seems to show him growing less attached to Rarity.
For one, I doubt that the early Spike would do what current Spike did in Inspiration Manifestation without at least a little persuasion from Twilight.
...I wonder if any of this will be replied to. Perhaps I've just written a wall of sh*t and never realised it.
The reason why I say "coltfriend" is because I don't think Hasbro would establish canon same-sex couples in MLP. I also don't think Sparity would happen, considering how much it is emphasized that he is a kid and Rarity is a full grown mare who fantasizes about being with other stallions.
I actually think that the incorporation of romance could open the door for new friendship lessons, such as not meddling in another pony's relationship, making sure to set time apart for friends, and being honest with one's feelings when a friend is constantly choosing the coltfriend over her own friends.
I feel like this would be an interesting dynamic to add to the show. It's not unprecedented either... There are a few married couples shown in Equestria so I don't see this outside of the realm of possibility. As far as same-sex pairings, I honestly don't see the show going in that direction simply because all of the romantic couples shown so far have been heterosexual. And if anything the mane six lean towards being straight based on how they acted when Trenderhoof showed up.
Both silvadel and Badly Drawn Turtle make some excellent points with which I agree. And Appledash lurks around the fringes of my neadcanon, especially after that lovely "Angels" comic of last year.
It would be interesting to see but they would have to introduce the characters and have the main 6 truly get to know the them before they got together. Unlike what they did with flash, twilight meets him and instantly fell in love.
Organic relationships Yes, Like Trenderhoof / Sparity, Dashin , Flutter Mac/CherriMac (Catfighting!)
Got to learn about the real life stuff, Sooner than later.
Note : Using the Cakes guide to offspring- With all the hugs Spike gets from Rarity She should of had a litter of Pongon- Dracony- Kirins long ago.
About possible lesbian parings in the actual show: It may seem unlikely at first, but if you think about it… it's almost more likely than a heterosexual paring.
First off, there's the ‘girl power’ dynamic that the show tends to orient around; if a romantic relationship developed, it would (hopefully) be done with the specific intent to avoid the male-dominance that tends to infect romance stories. The most obvious way to do that? Don't add a male to the picture.
Secondly, the stories that could be explored with a lesbian relationship (especially one that develops within a friend group [AppleDash, for instance]) are less explored and potentially more enticing to the writers than the standard TV pairings.
Third, and most importantly, we are living in a changing social dynamic. In fact, America is close to the tipping point: Gay rights are inevitable now, and so we are beginning to see a shift. A shift in what? Company behavior, of course! When overwhelming consensus builds on a specific social issue, companies in all areas, but especially media producers, change their ways. It isn't a matter of passive, ‘go with the flow’ behavior; but of market forces. Companies will hold back at the old standard right up to the tipping point. Then, when public opinion has clearly, irreversibly changed, savvy companies will rush forward to hold the flag, in a combined attempt to stay in good graces with the audience and to garner popularity as a trend-setter for the new social norm. What does all this mean? I believe (I'm not 100% sure, I admit) that gay characters and relationships are about to become the new trend in television. It's already happened in Britain (Doctor Who has been in on it for a few seasons, now… ever since Captain Jack, actually), so it's only a matter of time. And space. And a crossover that really should happen but probably won't. Wait, that's off topic, isn't it?
Am I presenting evidence biased towards my hopes, here? Certainly. But it's something to think about, for sure.
{Funny thing about AppleDash; if it was actually done in the show, Ashleigh Ball would have to have romantic conversations with herself.}
I don't like it, but nothing they could really do to the show would stop me from watching it.
Twilight is kind of too busy to be hooking up.
Pinkie Pie hasn't shown any real tendency towards even trying.
Rainbow Dash again hasn't shown any real tendency, but I could see her and say Soarin if they keep kicking that puppy and RD shows more loyalty to the poor wonderbolt who is on the way out.
Fluttershy? What she does with Harry the bear is her own business.
AJ -- Too busy with the farm to really be looking unless love came to her. Even so the farm would fall apart.
Rarity -- loved and lost enough times while treating most stallions as servants. She may be farther away than any of them even though she is seeking such.
It could be done well, but it all depends on who is being shipped with who. It's all about presentation.
If it's presented in an organic and meaningful way, it could be done well.
If it's just thrown in and the relationship feels shallow, then it shouldn't exist at all in the show.
(also, there's no possible way Hasbro would green light a blatant lesbian relationship in MLP)
No, Neigh. NEVER!!
The essence of the show is the friendship between the Mane Six. Needless complications should be avoided and IMO it runs contrary to the ethos of the show as it has been established. Leave the shipping to the fanfic writers. I would be sorely disappointed in the creative staff if this happens and it would be the glass eye in the forehead of the show.
I picked this could be interesting, but do any of you really believe that a American children's cartoon would have homosexuality in it? I get this is just for fun, but still.
I think if it's done well, and the love is justified I can see it being interesting. :) I'll be excited for that. XD
Thank you for saying boyfriends and girlfriends. My little queer heart is warmed. /)
It need more situations like the Trenderhoof one, you know, a real friendship vs boyfriend, fight
LOL! Seth, you tease! Hooking up everypony with a love interest is anathema with the underlying theme of everypony is different with dreams and aspirations that are independent of gender politics. Mix in love interests and this could go two ways. Either the mane six drop everything and talk about stallions most of the time, or the Mane Six becomes the Mane Twelve, plus Spike. Can you think of any action/adventure show where pairing off the entire cast to newcomers/background characters in the fifth season has worked?
I certainly want all the ponies to find emotional fulfillment, but I think sexualizing them would essentially end the show as we've known it.
I almost picked option one, just for fun.
I guess if the show was otherwise still good, I'd get over it. But such a theme, to me at least, bodes ill of the show's future story-telling prospects. It's one thing to have one or two characters hook up (AppleDash AppleDash AppleDash AppleDash), but matching them all stops feeling like character development and steps into the realm of copy-pasting stories.
One of the major factors of whether such a show would still be good is how much of a role these new partners play. If they show up in most episodes as asides, not drawing undue attention to themselves and the romance when the episode is about something else, then that is good. However, if every single episode turns into some sort of romance-drama, that's bad. Really, really bad.
(AppleDash AppleDash AppleDash...)
Well, it would depends on who'll date whom...