Rainbledon: My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Thread

[Tokuopolis]

Pokeponies

[Lord Dominator]

Shoulder Draconequus 2R
Creature — Chimera Advisor
At the beginning of your upkeep, discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
”It’s your devil’s day off. Now, about that ‘sanity’ thing you’re so attached to…”
2/1
(From 'FanOfMostEverything' I think it was on Fimfiction)

[Socialist Czechia]

so mean

[Frenequesta]

What grade shall I give this one?

First off, I am so glad that the episode didn't just keep up the cringe that characterized the first act--it really would have not made for any particularly enlightening lesson just to say "don't forget what you already know, especially if it means being a jerk." But even that is still not for waste--it helps set up the next two acts for the contrasting motivations of the CMC and Cozy Glow.

As I have observed before, the CMC have been consistently used in this season to represent selfish desires (see "Surf and/or Turf" and "The Break-Up Breakdown"), and this episode is no exception. Cozy Glow is merely self-interested (her desire to be in the friendship school is not tainted by the lure of personal pleasure, as with the CMC), and as we see later, altruistic in an admittedly corrupt and perverse way (though one might argue that sometimes that is what altruism requires!). Of course, her altruism came in part from recognizing the selfish interests of the CMC (though it is unclear how she realized it given the CMC's response that friendship is not tit-for-tat). The tension between the selfish and the altruistic is resolved by Starlight's insight that Cozy Glow was "doing alright"--she at least "wanted to" help her new friends. (It reminds me a little of Kant's principle that the only thing inherently good is a good will, that is, acting in accord with rational moral duty, though not necessarily out of it (as is often misinterpreted)). If we take "wanted to" as a good will, then, putting aside whether Cozy Glow's good will made her actions morally right (and the episode at least leaves the answer open with a strong suggestion that it didn't) it is certainly a moral improvement over "Non-Compete Clause," which seemed to reinforce a patronizingly hierarchical view of the student-teacher relationship, by recognizing that part of learning (particularly moral learning) is realizing what is in oneself and building off of that (as opposed to merely surrendering oneself as a blank slate and taking things uncritically). (This also comes back to Kant in a way, who said that we generally know intuitively what is right and wrong--the real issue is how to characterize and explain them.)

It is a little disappointing that the episode does not end by saying that the CMC actually do have at least something to learn, especially if one believes that learning is a continuous process. In that way the hierarchical view of "Non-Compete Clause" remains in part. Of course, the CMC seem to accept quite early on that they really don't need the friendship lessons once their efforts at trying to prove themselves needing them fail and they get the vicarious experience through Cozy Glow, so it isn't a serious problem for the episode's moral development (they still acknowledge their base hedonistic motivations, although it still highlights why it is so odd that Cozy Glow so correctly concluded that the CMC just wanted to get into the school of friendship). The episode was more about honesty than pedagogy in the end.

In that light I'm still wondering why Twilight would so categorically reject the CMC coming into the school ("as students"--a good hint as any on what the resolution would be!). Surely Friendship can't be limited to everything the CMC have experienced, no? It seems there is no such thing as "Beginning Friendship" or "Advanced Friendship" at the school, just Friendship--and yet what the Mane 6 were teaching the students, and the CMC were teaching Cozy Glow, were remarkably basic (at least those which the plot didn't demand some interruption, such as Twilight's history lesson--why couldn't that be something that the CMC would actually gain something out of?). This is the second part of the hierarchical model that still plagues the school--it assumes that Friendship/Harmony is a fixed rather than dynamic concept (though episodes like "Shadow Play" suggest it is not). Hopefully later episodes fix this conception and make the school more like a university than a school. (We might also fault Twilight for her wording of her refusal--she seemed to be making more of a persuasive argument than an argument from her own regulations--that is, "you can't" should have been "you shouldn't" or "I won't allow you," but that's mane-splitting really.)

One final note: It was interesting that Cozy Glow's homework assignment was to do something nice for three total strangers. She seemed to think herself limited by the fact that she didn't know anypony in Ponyville, but that might have actually been the point of the assignment--if Scootaloo was right that doing something nice for the strangers means doing something that they would appreciate, then it follows that one must get to know them first to find what they would appreciate. One wonders if the CMC actually took away this part of the learning experience by basically giving away the hard part of the assignment. But Cozy Glow got an A, so I can't really complain much. (By the way, how did the CMC "know" Bon Bon they way they did Mrs. Cake or Big Mac? As far as I remember, the only connection was in "Call of the Cutie" when Apple Bloom tried to force-sell apples on her. At least it didn't take much acquaintance to figure out what she needed.)

So lets see... a C+ or a B- maybe? In any case, it passes, marks for effort, though far, far, far from perfect.

[Jaohuang]

Hello, someone here? I'm just stumbling around NS general discussion forums and found this particular forum. So, I'm just put this post here, in case if I'm gonna ask anything about it. From an Octavinyl shipper, have fun.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Hello, someone here? I'm just stumbling around NS general discussion forums and found this particular forum. So, I'm just put this post here, in case if I'm gonna ask anything about it. From an Octavinyl shipper, have fun.

Hai

---

fishy

[Jaohuang]

Hello, someone here? I'm just stumbling around NS general discussion forums and found this particular forum. So, I'm just put this post here, in case if I'm gonna ask anything about it. From an Octavinyl shipper, have fun.

Hai

---

fishy

Erhm... Hello. (Cute fish by the way)

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Hai

---

fishy

Erhm... Hello. (Cute fish by the way)

I requested it. :3

how are you?

[Jaohuang]

Erhm... Hello. (Cute fish by the way)

I requested it. :3

how are you?

Nah, I'm good. I just having some morning stuffs.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

I requested it. :3

how are you?

Nah, I'm good. I just having some morning stuffs.

Cool, I'm tired, long day

[Socialist Czechia]

seriously?

[Hurdergaryp]

seriously?

Some memes will continue to be used, reused and abused until the last shred of entertainment or perceived usefullness has been harvested from them. It is the very nature of the internet.

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

pone

[Ameriganastan]

Twilight was an idiot.
CMC were annoying idiots.
Cozy glow is an annoying, lying idiot.

Bad episode.

[Ameriganastan]

Whoa, just a tick. Through that whole episode, I assumed Cozy Glow was that one Changeling from the school. The nice one. She wasn't of course. Then I went back and looked at her Cutie Mark. Looks like a chess piece. A QUEEN chess piece. Follow me? I think she might be a certain other Changeling we know has been shown to return this season...

[Lord Dominator]

Whoa, just a tick. Through that whole episode, I assumed Cozy Glow was that one Changeling from the school. The nice one. She wasn't of course. Then I went back and looked at her Cutie Mark. Looks like a chess piece. A QUEEN chess piece. Follow me? I think she might be a certain other Changeling we know has been shown to return this season...

....
Hmm

[Frenequesta]

Whoa, just a tick. Through that whole episode, I assumed Cozy Glow was that one Changeling from the school. The nice one. She wasn't of course. Then I went back and looked at her Cutie Mark. Looks like a chess piece. A QUEEN chess piece. Follow me? I think she might be a certain other Changeling we know has been shown to return this season...

What made you think Cozy Glow was Ocellus? They look nothing alike.

Also, that cutie mark looks more like a rook.

[Ameriganastan]

What made you think Cozy Glow was Ocellus? They look nothing alike.

...I can't tell if you're being funny or not.

Also, that cutie mark looks more like a rook.

...It's possible my knowledge of chess it rusty. Still, I bet you anything that little shyster of a pony is Chrysalis in disguise.

[Frenequesta]

What made you think Cozy Glow was Ocellus? They look nothing alike.

...I can't tell if you're being funny or not.

Okay, I’ll give you the color reversal and maybe the fact both have wings. Otherwise, they’re easy to distinguish.

[Ameriganastan]

...I can't tell if you're being funny or not.

Okay, I’ll give you the color reversal and maybe the fact both have wings. Otherwise, they’re easy to distinguish.

CHANGELING. WHAT CAN CHANGELINGS DO?

[Lord Dominator]

Okay, I’ll give you the color reversal and maybe the fact both have wings. Otherwise, they’re easy to distinguish.

CHANGELING. WHAT CAN CHANGELINGS DO?

Well, they eat love

[Frenequesta]

Okay, I’ll give you the color reversal and maybe the fact both have wings. Otherwise, they’re easy to distinguish.

CHANGELING. WHAT CAN CHANGELINGS DO?

And (1) King Thorax told Ocellus not to disguise herself all the time for the sake of general social convention (“It’s the polite thing [to stay in base form]”), (2) she’s only ever done it for the sake of her friends since, and (3) she’s hardly dishonest otherwise. One should not assume evil demons where there is nothing to suggest they are there.

[Jaohuang]

Say, ya like jazz? classic fimfiction fanfictions?

[The Derpy Democratic Republic Of Herp]

Say, ya like jazz? classic fimfiction fanfictions?

depends on what you'd call a classic.

did you know I wright fan fics?

[Jaohuang]

Say, ya like jazz? classic fimfiction fanfictions?

depends on what you'd call a classic.

did you know I wright fan fics?

I mean classic, I mean 'Most Viewed, All Time' classic. When :
1. EG wasn't a thing
2. Twi not yet got her wings
3. Vinyl wasn't a mute mare
4. Someone got terrified by a word 'Cupcake'
5. And many more

As for you, I might read yours anytime soon. (Judging by your story thumbnail, I'm not into foal shipping)