@Scrounge  

@Red-Supernova  
Agreed on both statements. They would be really good episodes to have.
 
While I will say that I agree that it’s the best and safest solution, at least for the stuff approved by DHX, its kind of difficult to separate ‘optional’ with ‘alternative’ when the comics make character development for the main characters that not only sails foreword past their current in-show status, but completely undermines the premise of Season 4’s big plot. For example, while IDW Twilight’s personality is as quirky and familiar as ever, IDW Twilight has become a completely different character then Twilight’s Kingdom Twilight, as the comic version of her has become a more self-motivated and relatable character.
 
It also didn’t help that certain lines IN the show and certain episodes seemed to have the same line of thinking as the comics, stuff that didn’t match up with the finale. The majority being Discord’s lines in early S4, and Twilight’s doubts in Trade Ya! that were suddenly derailed at the last minute.
 
I believe the user Grieffon pointed out a good theory, something along the lines of: “I believe this inconsistancy is due to the differing wants by some of the writers, some of the other writers, and the Hasbro execs and what they each want out of the show.” I think that’s highly plausible.

@441TheSecond  
I loved those issues. I wish we could see an episode in the show like them.
 
 
@Jarkes  
I think referring to the comics and books as optional canon is the best and safest approach if you’re really into the development of the characters.

@441TheSecond
 
The Celestia/Spike FF issue in particular addresses the whole “if she’s so powerful, then why does she never deal with these problems on her own?” thing.

@Scrounge  
I wish the Celestia Micro and the Celestia/Spike FF issue were canon, though. Wanna know why I like Celestia? Read those books. Unlike some other inferior tomes, THESE comics portray Celestia the way I see her.

@Jarkes  
That doesn’t necessarily make the rest of the book canon. Doesn’t mean it’s not, either, but still…

@Scrounge
 
I take the “optional canon” approach with the supplemental materials like the comics and books; if I think it works, it’s canon; if not, I just ignore that. UNFORTUNATELY, I can no longer do that with the “Crystal Heart Spell” book because Meghan McCarthy herself outright said that the backstory given for Cadance in that book is her canon backstory.

@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
I’m pretty sure nobody ever said the comics were canon. (The “Friends Forever” issue with Applejack and Rarity should be, though.)

@CronoM  
I try to keep my comments about Reflections to a minimum because I can be very venomous about it, and while I may hate that story, the people who liked it as a whole didn’t do anything against me, so I try not to step on their toes.
 
And please don’t try to psychoanalyze me. I’m allergic to speshul snowflake syndrome. The closest thing I’m allowing myself to identify as is somebody with incredibly low self-stem.
 
And I didn’t feel a damn thing about Black Brad. He had no personality, we’re mostly told what impact he had in her life, and he’s not even held accountable for his actions (Yeah, it takes two to fuck over a Universe. Jackass)
 
 
@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
I’d rather not use the word “Troll”, it implies that she lives for the anguish of others, which I highly disagree with.

@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
So it’s a griffoduck that poops earth-tone Skittles?

@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
I want to say I’m surprised but I’m kinda not. Amused, though.

@Solitude Mwark mwark! It exists! Say hello to my poppa!  

@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
Though going by your badge you’d be half kitty-kat, half duck instead of eagle.

@CronoM Well, it’s a good thing I’m a gryphon then!

@Niggoslav_Krawczyk  
Trolls are ignored.

@441TheSecond Only a gasket? Why not a whole oven?
 
@CronoM It’s called “Not being able to put up with the absolute horseshit falsely peddled as canon”
 
@441TheSecond Yeah, wish they would ‘own up’ to bits and pieces more often, so that we could point to certain people and say “Pls make them write Celestia forever!” Sure, there’s one MAIN writer for each episode, but as we saw in SAYS apparently they have the whole team involved for each episode, and stuff can be changed around later on. So come on, DHX! Who do we have to thank for Trollestia in Bird in the Hoof? Who are we supposed to bug you to get the prankish Funlestia of Bird and Gala back? And more importantly after that, when does she get to spend a day hanging around with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash?

@441TheSecond  
I apologize, but I must say I’m impressed you can establish that you have a very idealized perception of Celestia, and while state that the comic is the antithesis of your view of her, able to keep your complaints of her comic interpretation to yourself even if it sets you ablaze.
 
While I’m not a doctor, I would prescripe some stress relieving pills. It sounds like you have an anxiety disorder, which I am very familiar with.
 
As for Sombra, this is partly because of DHX, not IDW. They made him a bit more likable then Flash, like those chemistry scenes where he teases young adult Celestia on her penmenship skills, and we felt for him more since he DID help Celestia cope and give Celestia someone she COULD love, unlike Flash who was just shoehorned in as a nonsensical other species love interest for less then a week, so Sombra had that going for him…but in the end, what DO we know about him?
 
As a person, the fandom has summed up his personality as something between king arthur and optimus prime. But we need more then that, something only DHX can provide…what was either Sombra’s backstory?
 
Why was he a king? Why was he only a unicorn yet lived as long as Luna and Celestia, along with a small connection to the elements like them? How did Alt Luna and Alt Sombra know each other in the past, knowing each other so well and ruling together that they looked like siblings?
 
We don’t know. I always assumed that Sombra was Celestia and Luna’s Step-Brother. Ehh, for a comparison, imagine if not ALL 4 Pevencies in The Chronicles of Narnia were blood related, and later they were made kings and queens regardless.

@CronoM  
AND WHY WERE PEOPLE UPSET WHEN BLACK BRAD DIED? WE KNEW FUCKING NOTHING ABOUT HIM AS A PONY! HE WAS AS FLAT AS FLASH FUCKING SENTRY! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I CALL HIM BLACK BRAD?
 
GOD, this is what I’m talking about! Every time it’s brought up the rage fires up again. Christ.

@CronoM  
Ugh, please don’t talk about Reflections next to me… that comic is the antithesis of what I see in Celestia.
 
I’m very liable to blow a gasket whenever it’s mentioned.

@441TheSecond  
I can understand that :)
 
And I agree its frustrating that they refuse to give a fuck and give her a personality in the show DX They only keep her around to fulfill the trope “Voice of God”, and by having Twilight unquestionally following her orders, they use the opportunity to dumb down the plot when they can’t write a smarter one…not that Hasbro gives DHX much leg room.
 
Your not crazy, I had a similar mindset for a long time too. But then Season 3 came and, ugh, they started using her ONLY to advance the plot.
 
…but I have to admit, when i saw her flying up in this panel  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PnZTQIjbQU 6:11  
, I REALLY could see the Superman/paragon in her.

@CronoM  
Being a paragon is not about never commiting mistakes. Or being right 100% of the time. It’s standing for what’s right, and never giving up on doing good no matter how grim the situation may get.
 
And it’s less of a headcanon and more how I view the character.
 
Plus, keep in mind: The writers don’t give a fuck at all. They have no solid character thought out when they write her, she’s just a Deus Ex Machina, I’m the crazy man here for actually liking her. I’m just doing with what I’m given.

@441TheSecond  
“for me, Celestia stands for good itself. She stands for kindness, loyalty, honesty, generosity, happiness, and courage. She may not do much in the show, but from her few appearances, I just get the feeling that she stands for being better than ourselves, and for helping one another.”
 
So where the hell did that headcanon go after Crystal Empire aired?
 
And yes, I know her justifications are NOT tyrannical nor mean spirited. Her justifications are explained quite well here…  
>>573010  
(I firmly believe that she was referring to the Sombra incident only, and only to a lesser extent Discord. Discord she knew too personally to try and use her full strength on, and he wasn’t exactly a killer. She wouldn’t dare try to combat her sister Nightmare Moon directly, and Chrysalis she simply underestimated.)
 
The point is, just because she is perseverent,  
…albeit less so when this happened,  
>>641098  
making her emotional attachment to Alt Sombra and Luna in your most hated arc perfectly justifiable, given that the other world currently was dying due to both evil sisters withering it….
 
…does not mean that she is not mislead. She does NOT stand for something better then ourselves in every area, she has a BLINDSPOT. An ENORMOUS one.
 
Twilight.
 
Her obsession in turning Twilight into the perfect hero and princess trumps all her prior morals she has built over the years and allows her to be more then willing to risk the lives of her people.  
>Telling Twilight to save the Empire on her own  
>Sending Twilight a book that will curse the hell out of her friends  
>Forcing monarchy on a person, Twilight, who does not know how to think for herself yet or say no to said person  
>Asking Twilight to tell her friends nothing about the situation with Tirek
 
So many times she has thrown away what is good, reasonable and safe for the people and thought only about what she wants to see in her student Twilight. This blindspot appeared only when the Princess Twilight Sparkle arc began, so I do not think it was the writers original intention, which is why I think she is given a far more relatable personality when in private in the character development comics. After all, the show NEVER lets us see Celestia lower her regal emotional guard completely..
 
..except that ONE second when she saw Tirek in her vision. I knew from that scene her memories of Tirek were young, possibly before she was ** ******* ******** *** ***** * ***** ***** *****. (WARNING: All content of Canterlot History: Vol II are strictly forbidden to be known. The last culprit to discover the missing history between unicorn rule in Canterlot and Celestia and Luna’s coronation was known as Sunset Shimmer. Princess Celestia and Luna’s identity is not to be known)
 
It shows she wasn’t an adult her whole life, Celestia and Luna WERE once normal older sister and younger sister siblings.  
>>657212  
>>661339
 
And, above all, she could never have gone 1000 years of leadership without making some risky and foolish decisions. This is something I FIRMLY believed long before the Reflections arc.
 
Someone as compassionate as Celestia would slowly cry tears of blood after having to banish her sister for 1000 years and seeing every other friend she ever made die of old age again and again and again while she remained the same…if she didn’t make SOME connection that would last a lifetime for her, reckless or not.
 
She is amazingly strong of heart, but she is still a person like the rest of us. 1000 years is a long time to accumulate issues ruling a kingdom of mortals, but as a person, she turned out alright.

@Jarkes  
I suspect we may be better off not knowing.
 
 
@Jarkes  
Thanks, that’s what I was aiming for!

@Scrounge
 
I’m just wondering where the hell it originated from and what the context was.