I want you to take a look at this: I'll allow a moment for you to place your rapidly ejected brains back in your fractured skulls. Seriously, this is one of the most interesting and deep interpretations I've been given to look at. It makes a haunting amount of sense but doesn't encompass the entire fandom within a big bubble but I can't help but feel like it does seem interesting enough to warrant a little discussion. My take? So, what? Isn't the desire to be known in some fashion for your talent and to garner some recognition, even if it's very small, something everyone has anyway? The realisation is not that new, at least for me but I've never thought of MLP as an escapist fantasy quite like that before. It's a strong parallel to highlight something in your life but I don't believe it's the be all and end all interpretation of Brony fandom and culture. And so we're back to the question: so what? Well, it is nice to have the security to just be able to be automatically handed recognition or a job based on your inevitable destiny or earned proof of talent. Depending on how the Cutey Mark works, you could be earning the badge of honour that literally marks you out as who you are or locked on an inevitable path as soon as your branded with the trait that will dominate your whole life. See, Media Interpretation is all a big wibbly-wobbly, opiniony-winiony, mess of guesswork and theory. As for what to do with all this? Well, can you see if there's anyway of expressing yourself? It's one of the most rewarding things to do so. Try starting with this site, and see whether you too can dazzle us with a little awesome. Anyway, what do you think?
I love Ask Pun. This makes a great deal of sense. However, it fails to explain why so many take an interest in the show even before they learn all of the lore. The significance of the cutie mark wasn't explained until episode twelve, and the fandom had already taken off by that point.
I've never had it presented to me in such a succinct fashion, but I have always noticed that to be an appealing part of the show, both to me and to many others. It has also been a slightly depressing part of the show, for people who are kinda 'lost' at this point in their lives, and don't know what their cutie mark should be; such as when making an OC. This also comes to mind: Spoiler: spoiler
I've never thought of this idea being what attracts us to the show... As for myself, I, too, struggle with what job I want, and what my natural talents truly are. I guess it's a part of high school. I have a few general ideas (math, science, music, programming, oh my), but as for what I want to develop, or what specific job I want, I don't really know. Since I've never made an OC for myself, if I ever make one sometime, he would be a blank flank. It's strange and cool how much I, and most of us, can relate to the show in this way.
I agree. It's a really fascinating little facet of this show, effectively casting us as the CMC, rushing around to see what works and what doesn't.
I've always wondered since the concept was introduced, what would it be like to get a cutie mark that sucked, like a trash pony? I mean, someone's gotta' take out the trash, but then how does that compare to ponies who were destined for greatness? Is it all just random?
RO be honest I tackle this from the ponies perspective. To be without talent to some means you are the dumb, pushed aside, and unsocial kid. In the real world now, most believe in money standards, and few care about real friends. A cutie mark is then worth money, and the better, the more friends and popularity. This would be unfair, leaving kids with few friends. So now we have this anitsocialbilitu problem. I look for people who have a good personality, and viewpoints. So we have 3 groups of ponies in the pony world, rich, inbetween, and poor. To get a good cutie mark to me, would be as good as getting a C after years of F's, unless you really deserve it.
While I figured out what I wanted to make of myself before watching FiM, it does remind me of myself as a young'un. It took me almost 18 years to realise my talents and what career path I wanted to go down. When I was younger, every teacher seemed to ask us every year what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most people knew what they wanted, I, however, did not. I did always feel a certain disappointment in myself that I was the one who didn't know what he wanted to be.
I'm uncomfortable with how precisely that description fits me at 33. Someone give me a job please! But the connection there is coincidence for sure, I wasn't thinking about my lack of a cutie mark till I finished every episode and was going back through them! I'd rather have a TARDIS then a job, but getting a job is probably easier
This does make a lot of sense, considering folks in that age bracket are definitely most prone to being stuck in that awkward area of "What am I going to do for the rest of my life?" Granted, it's definitely not the only reason we all find the show appealing, but it definitely gives us something to relate to as, I'm sure, almost all of us have been in that awkward state at some point. Personally, I'm at a point in my own life where I've realized what I'm good at and what I would like to do for a living (music), but now I'm in the boat of having to figure out how to turn such an unfeasible ambition into a reality.
