Rainbledon: My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Thread

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

So, should seapony Scootaloo be named Tunaloo? You know, since she's now the chicken of the sea.

Go for it, she is happy with her goofy nickname.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

dazzlings

[Ameriganastan]

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

[Frenequesta]

Plato believed that art, poetry and drama, being false representations of true forms, have no philosophical value. One could see Twilight’s play, therefore, as a lie to begin with, and “the perfect being” Celestia’s awkward efforts to fit into her play as showing the folly of it. Yet here the perfect form relishes in the mechanations of the lie because it nonetheless brings people together in a bond of friendship, something that is at least not all that explicit in the Republic.

Yet we wonder: was Celestia really a bad actor? Or were all her flaws supposed to teach Twilight not to be blinded by the light of her idols? Certainly this aspect of Twilight’s character is one that has been emphasized in recent years (see “Celestial Advice” and “Shadow Play”) and a pattern I applaud, especially as something to teach children going forward. I liked how forthcoming Twilight was in revealing the source of her mistake once she was chided for violating the principles of honesty. But if honesty really is the virtue here, is it not undercut by Celestia explicitly agreeing to be in the role Twilight cast for her, when she could have herself explained that she never really intended to act? The flaws would then a lie, certainly in line with her pranking nature, but one that seemed to have no motivation other than to be, which seems a bit didactic even for this show. (Case in point: Celestia’s literal-mindedness at the method acting session was almost impoosible to believe as she is clearly capable of abstract thought and discerning purpose.)

The explanation for Celestia’s ascension was straightforward and simple, almost too simple. The omission of Luna in the story is rather odd given that the unicorns would likely have to have raised too it before Luna. Yes, Celestia was the subject here, but it is odd that Twilight would surpress a character of a pony who has already been rehabilitated. Perhaps the moon came later, but this omission by the writer seems glaring.

This episode was in a conflict between staying true to characters and exploring the nuances of honesty. The play both succeeds and fails, and I am conflicted which one tilts more.

[Ameriganastan]

Episodes was meh.

[Ameriganastan]

I'm watching "A Flurry Of Emotions". And just realized Twilight brought an infant into a room full of contagious kids. I'm surprised Flurry didn't get horsey hives herself.

[Lord Dominator]

I'm watching "A Flurry Of Emotions". And just realized Twilight brought an infant into a room full of contagious kids. I'm surprised Flurry didn't get horsey hives herself.

Clearly alicorns are the superior beings, not affected by the trappings of mortals
Either that, or the disease is in a non-contagious stage (or isn't contagious at all), given that Twilight was perfectly capable of coming herself

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

So MrsCurlyStyles did this for me.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

[Socialist Czechia]

[Ameriganastan]

[Lord Dominator]

(Image)

Is that a photo or a drawing, I legitimately can't tell?

[Socialist Czechia]

(Image)

Is that a photo or a drawing, I legitimately can't tell?

assassin monkey is just that good artist

that totally happened

flying menace.

[Lord Dominator]

Is that a photo or a drawing, I legitimately can't tell?

assassin monkey is just that good artist

that totally happened

flying menace.

Lol
and
Is that from whatever episode, or just a really good drawing again?

[Socialist Czechia]

pony attack

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

pony attack

cute

[Frenequesta]

Today we have a modern update of the old biblical commandment, Honor thy father and thy mother, mixed in with the battle between the past and the future and further exhorting the parent to honor their children. I would have liked a more balanced treatment of the preservation/modernity debate myself, as there are interesting issues of social cohesion that could have been explored, but of course, I can hardly blame a show that tries to steer clear of today’s contemporary issues. At the very least, the connection is in the fact that we often regard the family as the basic unit of society. Mr. Rapp, unfortunately, couldn’t figure out a way to connect the personal conflict between Starlight, Sunburst, and their parents with the larger society. The parents don’t seem to act any differently in their political capacities, an unfortunate consequence of his decision to drive home the fact that the conflict was between the parent and child only for comedy’s sake. Unfortunately that is not how Map episodes (usually) work, and to confine it as the ponies’ own problem I think trivializes the Map, and the episode relishes in highlighting how it’s not like a typical map episode, which just doesn’t make much sense in light of the fact that the symbolism of the episode so greatly favors a societal interpretation.

The last time the show explored the “honor thy father and mother” theme was in “Parental Glideance,” where we were taught to appreciate your parents even if they are terribly obnoxious. This episode moderates that theme, giving the parents (and to a lesser extent the children) a more rational motivation for their actions, and importing the lessons from “Filly Forever” to create a mutual obligation, which is certainly more in line with the larger theme of friendship in the show. The common fault of both parents was excessive control, whether in preservation or plans for improvement. Interestingly, the development reminds me of George Lakoff’s characterization of American politics as not simply the battle between conservativism and liberalism, but of the warring conceptions of the family—the “strict father” and the ”nuturant parent” model. Lakoff might ultimately argue that both parents here were strict fathers wanting to impose their wills on the world and children, despite one representing tradition and the other representing progress, but he would appreciate the fact that the two conceptions are not mutually exclusive, as Starlight’s preserving father seems actually more nurturant than Sunburst’s plan-making mother. (If Rapp were indeed inspired by Lakoff, it might also explain why we only see one parent each of Starlight and Sunburst, as the strict father model gives no room for the mother’s own voice. The omission, otherwise unexplained (I think, there were a couple of parts I missed), is very strange otherwise.)

Sires Hollow itself is an interesting place. Unlike Ponyville, whose government is more or less centralized in the office of the mayor, Sires Hollow seems to be run by voluntary associations exercising control over various tasks normally given to the government. The two parents didn’t seem to be trying to curry anyone’s favor, which appears to signal that they are not just interest groups. An anarchic pluralism, syndicalism perhaps, I wonder how common the system is in other towns. Notably, while Ponyville was founded by and is still run by earth ponies with an increasingly diverse (pony) population, Sires Hollow seems to have a more balanced mix of unicorns and earth ponies, with unicorns in the lead, with few pegasi. It may be that a clearer hierarchial structure is favored by earth ponies and pegasi, while unicorns, though traditionally seen as the elite, are not overly jealous of their power (though earth ponies also have a tradition of democracy, at least if the office of mayor reflects the original English conception of the office).

The dialogue seemed a bit stilted at times, and said a lot of things that I think even a child would pick up on even if left unsaid. I also thought Rapp went too far trying to make so many meta jokes about the Cutie Map genre episodes. Nonetheless, I appreciate the effort, though I still maintain it’s not how a Map episode should work.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Family

[Ameriganastan]

It was okay.

[Frenequesta]

Holy Celestia, the last pony episode name-dropped the original perfect pony society. Best. Reference. Ever.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Horse play is fun.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Trg is doing a thing for direct relief please considering donating to them on either the stream or there site.

I donated 20$, and got lucahjin to say "Scootaloo is best".

[Socialist Czechia]

i can relate

[Minoa]

@Socialist Czechia, to what song would that be to the tune of?