Weapons?

[Dusty]

boys like hitting things with big swords.

And some of us like fights and battles~

Not all but for one, ah do.

But even I don't think we need to be ruining all over waving weapons.

[Imagination]

Personally I think its because most of the recent gag items have been geared toward weaponry of some kind, and people are starting to experiment to see if they can bring anything to the RP board. I agree that introducing lethal weapons into an RP that love and toleration is supposed to dominate is a bad idea, after reflection. For instance, my Royal Artillery suggestion was debunked on absolutely reasonable grounds, which I agree with. Gunpowered and overly complicated mechanisms wouldn't exist even IF ponies were aggressive and war-like.

As for swords and spikes and such, it may just be an attempt at increasing a 'cool' factor for a character. More sinister/ formidable-in-a-fight looking character usually = cool in some people's minds. But it would also open doors to violent RPs that I think would ruin the board, so I agree with the stance the help staff is taking on this.

[RarityDash]

Well, as I see it, it's exactly because this world features dangerous monsters and such that we are wanting to include weaponry and such. Some of us see a world filled with magic and monsters and naturally just want to throw in swords and armor to round things out. For me, it all just kind of goes together naturally as part of the familiar fantasy package whether the characters I'm following are talking ponies or not.

I mean, from the very first episodes, I kind of focused in on the Royal Guards in their armor as something rather cool and interesting. Made me think about what sort of threats or challenges they might face in protecting Canterlot from danger, which is really probably why my first OC here ended up being a guardspony. A lot of why I ended up with repeated combat themed characters (such as my ex-solider Midnight Brand or by aspiring knight Ardent Fate) after my first is that the work Diomedes put into laying out organizations like the Royal Equestrian Army and the Destrier Knights kind of rather impressed and inspired me somehow.

Really, FiM is a world of friendship and magic, but its also a world with a lot of dangers in it. For that reason, I really don't see characters who fight or use weapons as out of place at all.

That said, I'll admit that some people surely take things overboard...

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

While it is very true that people can go way overboard with dark and brooding, angry characters that just smash things. I think pony fights could be done well and still fit within the setting and shouldn't be dismissed outright.

The sword fight between Inigo Montoya and the Dread Pirate Roberts (from Princess Bride) is a great example of how two characters can get in a confrontation where we learn interesting things about both characters, better understand who they are, and not really be all that dark. The stakes in a fight don't always have to be totally serious, they can be playful and fun if you want.

(When ponies get in a duel, they might simply aim to disarm their opponent, and might be about disagreements on the level of Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity vs Trixie in boast busters.)