@Background Pony #0922
 
What an old bump. Almost a year… wow, time flies.  
And that’s really reaching. It isn’t fridge brilliance and none of the other characters who play become or are interested in being guards. If he was war gaming that would be one thing, but this is played as “He’s actually a nerd, can’t you relate to that? I sincerely hope you can, because that was the point.”
 
The real essence of the problem isn’t the typecasting of the D&D gamers as social outcasts and misfits ala “revenge of the nerds” the problem is that becomes more the focus of the story and the characterization than his interest in a career in the guard. He could just as well have been cast as shy and hesitant to approach Cadance without that desperate appeal to geekdom.

FRIDGE BRILLIANCE!!!
 
D&D was orginally inspired by older styles of “war games” where one made heavy use of strategy and chance. OF COURSE he AND his friends would play a similar game!
 
Training for when they get started in the Royal Guard!

Just to throw my two cents in: I actually kind of always figured that Shining Armor was at least as big of a dork as Twilight, if not more so. Besides, just because he’s a nerd doesn’t mean that he couldn’t eventually become a badass Captain of the Guard. Would have liked to have SEEN that process, mind you, but anything that gives Shining Armor development at all is good enough for me.

@Starlight Storm  
I wouldn’t say I hate it; but I feel the same way as #3F04 Anon. And saying that he is a nerd because it is a parody of high school movies, well who the eff cares? Find better things to parody.
 
That’s kind of the logic behind my rant: just because something is an intricate reference to something, doesn’t mean we have to respect it.  
A reference can work for two reasons:  

@Ertinax  
I know, I’ve spoken with other people that hate the comics in general and this is clearly their most hated.  
Also, I said “it suck for me” to not generalize that this is the worst comic of them all (Which it is) and to mess up with RIG for a little… Argument we had long ago.

@Starlight Storm
 
You’re far from the only one to think this way about this comic arc.

@RIG  
Yeah… Better not make this into another drama/flame war debate over a comic.
 
…which still sucks for me anyways.

@Starlight Storm  
oh wait, ITS YOU, nevermind then…

@RIG  
…that’s why I said that you don’t use that excuse. In the show they have only been “useless” ONE time, and that was because their captain was under Chrysalis control. And in the comics they appeared fighting the cockactrices in Spike’s ministory, and that scene in Luna’s arc is just a small slice of life, like every other military.

@Starlight Storm  
you may haven’t notice but the royal guards are always portrayed as useless (show) and silly (comics).

@PonyPon  
It could work if he wasn’t reduced to an EVEN bigger nerd than Twilight. I know he was mocking how little popularity he has, but really? I mean, her sister is adorkable, he was simply dork and dumb. His friends were the ones who planned everything, AND HE’S SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!
 
…And don’t come with the excuse that the Royal Guard is the equestrian equivalent of Storm Troopers.

@Starlight Storm  
Well, if take into very careful consideration who his sister is, and the kind of things that happen to her, what they do in the comic is still dumb, but friggin’ appropriate.

@Background Pony #3F04  
Exactly. Instead of, I don’t know, built up his character as WHY he became captain of the royal guard and his relationship with Twilight and Cadance, they turn him into a nerd (or more appropiate, a loser) that basically had EERYTHING handed out for him in a way.
 
And as you say Shining Armor is supposed to represent a protective model for Twilight Sparkle, and not a copypaste of her nerdiness.

“I’m captain of the royal guard and one of the most powerful characters in my world, but, uhhh, I’m actually just a shy geek just like you. You’re shy geeks right? sure you are, all of you. RELATE TO ME RIGHT NOW. DO IT FAGGOTS.”
 
Not a fan of the premise they drew on for this. It just does not fit the characters or setting at all.

@Vree
 
Nobody gets into the comics industry to write\draw stories that other people will enjoy. They get into the comics industry to write\draw whatever they want and still get paid for it, including and especially when nobody but them wants to see it made into a comic. It’s basically what the videogame industry will be like in ten\twenty years.

@Vree  
So in other words, just use references YOU know and like, not references YOU don’t know and like.
 
There is absolutely nothing here that is prohibitive towards any buyer. Yeah, the throwback to older comics is a nostalgic gag to big comic fans, but in no way does somebody new to comics or mlp look at the graphics and become lost.

@Vree  
you complain about they using references that not everyone would get, that other user complain about using references at all…

That’s what I hate about American comics. Instead of trying to speak to ‘normal’ people and reference things that they know from their lives, it’s a circlejerk within the comic industry, each comic referencing older comics referencing yet older comics. If you’re not a hopeless comic geek or a comic artist who is “in the know”, you are locked out of the loop.
 
But if you must reference something: what if, instead of pushing users to improve their ‘80s movies and comic book geekery, you’d be referencing previous MLP publications and material? Then previous gen fans could enjoy these comics for those reasons.
 
Or you could tailor it more to the needs of a younger generation and reference recent modern stuff that suits their interest - they are one of your big target audiences, after all. They may not have watched Quantum Leap or Body-Snatchers, but they are probably up to date on say, Pixar movies or modern music.