Community Post #133 - A Little Research Can Stop You Looking Like Idiots, Internet!

[size=+1]Community Post #133[/size]​

So, the new season brings in a few new things. Heck! I even took a nice break from writing these things. I think it was necessary. After all, I can only do so much in one run for so long. A few breaks let's me think up new ideas, get some space, and yadda yadda.

Unless somepony wants to join in? Lend a hoof? It's a thing that's allowed! PM a member of the Everypony Team and we'll chat.

All right, all right. So I'm back but with one particular reason this time: Internet, we need to talk.

OK, I should be more realistic...

Members of this site, random wanderers that stumble in from Google looking for Legend of Zelda: The Pain in the Arse and people clicking the link I put in my signature on UK of Equestria; we need to talk.

There was a little tizzy over Starlight Glimmer after Episodes 1 and 2 came out. Her little village was pledging and preaching 'equality' for all. Literal equality. To the point where Earth Pony's are left weaker, unicorns are pathetic with magic and pegasi fly at the speed of glaciers. It equalises all. It removes their special skills, all in the name of harmony.

Aaaaand every reaction I heard about it afterwards jumped up and shouted: "COMMUNIST PONIES! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!".

The real reason is that the internet loves to spaz out about this sort of scandalous thing. As often as it thinks it can.​

Well, if I'm going to entertain this like it's not completely nuts there is that whole "Some ponies are more equal than others" thing with Starlight herself. There is this idea of equality bringing about peace and it is being enforced ruthlessly. On paper, it sounds like a writer somewhere was reading Animal Farm and figured they'd blow some milk out of the noses of everyone watching.

The issue with that is that, if we are borrowing from Animal Farm, is that Starlight would then gain nothing from removing Cutie Marks. If she wanted a powerful work force following her, she'd have left the Cutie Marks in place. She'd be using her own KGB to enforce her power, burning through ponies for her own needs. Boxer the Cart Horse in the original book was worked until lame because he was the best at it.

And then they send him to the...*ahem*, "knackers". Yep! This is gonna be a fun post. With a capital 'F' for 'Princess Luna's gonna have her work cut out for the nightmares in your head after reading this'!

Starlight wouldn't have been able to do that with weakened, equal followers. She'd kill them far too easily. Furthermore, she'd get way more out of the deal if she did have access and loyalty of those ponies with their Cutie Marks intact because then she'd have the advantage of their abilities too! They cook, they ski, they...Blow up balloons. But it's waaay, waaaaay more valuable to control those talents. The show has gone to great lengths (this season in particular) to establish that Cutie Marks are powerful. If you remove them, you make the pony next to useless.

But I'm still genuinely frightened by Starlight Glimmer. Not because she's a communist leader. It's because, and I can't believe this flew over viewer's heads, Starlight Glimmer is not only insane, but a Cult Leader.

I have no idea how far behind on this particular trend I am but, hey! If I was completely topical, I wouldn't be me. But, I think I can prove it.

When I googled for 'Cult Mentality' to prove my point, I found a handy, dandy checklist of what has been observed within real-world cults and how they operate. I'm probably on a few watch lists too as a result. All I can say, is that the guy monitoring me ought to like sporadic Brentalfloss Marathons, back to back, for an entire week.

Because I'm not learning all the words to 'Ocarina of Time with Lyrics' in one go! Trying to keep up with Dave's counter melody while Brent barks over him is pretty hard, even with the words right there!

So, let's go through this list and see where it matches up. I'm not saying this is completely right but it's a decent guess.

- The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether they are alive or dead) regards their belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law. - Yes

Not a single soul other than the new arrivals are willing to publicly challenge Starlight. They won't shut up about her being wonderful for what she's given them. The population of this place find the Mane Six's cutie marks bizarre. Heck! They find the fact that they argue and make up seriously weird like the group will all sneeze out their ears or have highly questionable eating habits.

"It's Osmosis Mom! I learnt it in school! It's better for my skiiin! Gaaawd!"​

They believe that differences are that toxic to harmony that being presented with the counter-argument in the form of Applejack and Rarity's spat being resolved ina second was seriously jarring. It's as alien as it gets for them with their skewed view on reality.

- Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished. - Yes

Sure, there's a few defectors from Starlight's doctrine but they're ostracized for it. They hide, they shy away as a symptom of being shut up in this village. They're certainly fearful to help the outsiders, especially considering that the punishment appears to be solitary confinement, with a repeated mantra played into the box until they emerge begging to come back. They can be thrown in there for simply not following the doctrine. It doesn't take much and these ponies cracked looong ago!

- Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s). - Yep! A pretty bloody big one!

Let's talk about those Equality Cutie Marks, shall we?

Now, previous episodes have shown us that Cutie Marks have a big effect on the Pony which carries them. The Cutie Mark Pox overloaded Applebloom with talents that she couldn't control, making her perform every single one, all the time. We also know from the final episode of Season 3 that being given a Cutie Mark that didn't manifest from the Pony's innate interests that blossomed as they matured, causes confusion and altered behaviour.

For example, Rarity was compelled to attempt to deal with weather when given Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark. Applejack was compelled to create clothing with no experience just because she had Rarity's cutie mark. These things do more than fill a space on the flank is what I'm getting at. It's like a superpower you wear as a magical tattoo except it could range from everything from tending to orchards to maintaining the cosmos.

"Me? Ha-ha! I am the very best in all of Equestria in eating tacos while wearing a white shirt, and not getting said shirt dirty!"​

So, and this is important, the Equality Marks cause a colossal nerf in those abilities. Pinkie was the most noticeable. Her usual mannerisms of excitement are dulled to mild indifference, all because of the Mark. Applejack's strength is cut. Twilight has the magical ability of a sparkler now. This ceremony of denouncing their Cutie Marks in exchange for something that physically and mentally limits them in the name of becoming equal with the others of the group is a pretty central part of being accepted.

This big ol' elaborate ceremony is established to appear outlandish, maybe even a little insane, but they claim to be fine now. Once the initial horror was over, they're apparently more than OK without their silly talents in the way. On top of this, the Equality Marks abilities appears to make these ponies very docile, letting Starlight trample all over them.

This is all to say nothing of the fact that a part of their individuality has been carved away from them and displayed in a little box like an aquarium! A fundamental aspect of the universe is being surrendered and being replaced with the magical equivalent of Ritalin. The thing that many of these ponies have waited for their entire childhoods, something that, in so many examples across the show so far is the special skill that they all use to define themselves and find joy in, is handed over on a silver platter.

The cornerstone of their identity. Put in a glass box for the world to see.

- The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth). - As far as I can see, totally!

You mean apart from forcing each pony to surrender a literal symbol of their individuality to replace it with something that limits them into something easily dominable?

Well, we've got the doctrine that is enforced by peer pressure which was pumped into the Solitary Confinement Space. There's hoods to wear and that's all. There's also the emphasis on being polite, smiling all the time. We even have the pony that had no aptitude for baking, and yet, that was all she was expected to do because their assigned task is arbitrary when they're all equally crap at everything. Each member is expected to live in identical cottages that all the village pitches in to build. None have any apparent details that marks them out as something other than their function. There's the bakery, sure, but there's no other distinguishing characteristics between each cottage other than where they are. They're all built in two long rows, this Starlight's looking down the middle.

We don't know about the ideas around Children or how they're brought up. We know they're there as we do see some following their parents but, no idea what they're like. We can only assume they are being brought up to believe everything the adults follow.

- The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities). - Yes! Lots of yes!

Well, well, well...

​

So...Apart from the usually baffling choice to remove a Cutie Mark, locking it away, then pretending to act perfectly comfortable for the rest of their days, how about helping to ambush the Mane Six in the interests of stealing their Marks away without consent? They seem pretty up for it, mainly because of Twilight's status as a Princess. That kind of publicity could help Starlight spread the doctrine that much further. Celebrity Endorsement is pretty powerful to those that follow that individual. A few important people and Starlight could get a pretty decent foothold in society. Celebrities are self-taught experts in garnering attention so spreading the word on whatever they believe would be easy.

Oh my word! What's this image of Tom Cruise doing here?! That's so weird when I'm talking about ponies! LOFROLcoptercycle WFT! AOL!​

- The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity).- Sounds about right.

Well, it's not exactly humanity Starlight Glimmer claims to help but she is supposed to be reinventing what they believe it means to be 'harmonious'. A place full of 'friends' that wouldn't normally be together. This is presented as a perfect system, this thesis being presented to the Princess of Friendship as a perfect utopia that they both look to reach some day.

They're all proud of their little village. They try to explain to Twilight that their little world is even better than what Twilight herself preaches. It's like two Philosophers having a little in-universe ideological struggle. Except that Starlight tries to force Twilight and Co. to join up. Which, we know doesn't quite work.

And yet I find Starlight Glimmer frightening. It's a little jarring that these themes would appear within a show that has generally been mostly...Well, toothless. With a few exceptions of the show presenting a few characters having pretty big mental breakdowns ('Party of One' for example), this is a pretty unsubtle parallel to real world practices that I found mildly uncomfortable to watch.

Only mildly though. I'm one of these guys that thinks that everything should shoot for being good or interesting, for whatever reason. And trying to be challenging or scary is no bad thing. Just ask the early viewers of Doctor Who that watched from the safety of behind their sofas. How about Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, a film that randomly decides to freak children out as soon as they ride the chocolate river, not to mention downright mocks certain types of parents for how they raised their children.

Friendship is Magic is more than welcome to try tackling unusual subjects. Other shows of the same ilk have tackled some heady material and turned out stand out episodes. Batman The Animated Series has 'Baby-Doll', a sad look at one woman's attempt to recapture the limelight. Animaniacs has an episode centered entirely about Orson Well's leaked outtake reel.

Why shouldn't My Little Pony show a little grit now and again? The amount of stuff I could spout about feminist ideologies in relation to this show is intimidatingly massive. So much so that I tried writing a Community Post about covering a big chunk explaining it and gave in because of how much there is to talk about!

Whether the writers knew what they were doing is up for debate, and it seems waaay to specific in certain details not to unless there's a movie these guy's have seen and are just copying from that, this is now the most terrifying villain we've had and arguably, a potential rival to Twilight.

Not in terms of ability, like Trixie was. After all, without some form of help, Trixie couldn't possibly compete anymore. Twilight is an Alicorn and one that didn't simply explode when handed the full, magical power of three other Alicorns. Twilight now could stomp all over Trixie.

But Starlight Glimmer? She rivals Twilight ideologically. Twilight's all about friendship despite differences. Sometimes because of them. Starlight's like a dark mirror of that idea, trying to remove difference for the same end. Even their names sound familiar. As Twilight grows more powerful, so does her enemies.

And let's remember that she's still out there somewhere. There's every chance, she'll be back, with a new group of vulnerable ponies under wing. And that time, she might not be so lax when she asks Twilight to join her 'friends'.

Seriously, possibly finale episode for this season. If I'm wrong then...I'm wrong.

[size=+1]- Site News[/size]

Tones of new music! Because Dragonbait never tires.

Artist - Song

DJRaidium88 - City Lights
djsmell - Cheese It! (Parody of Beat It) - Cheese Sandwich
FritzyBeat & PhonyBrony - Hush Now (feat. Chi-chi & Exiark)
Luna Ticks - Let Me Into Your Heart
M_Pallante - The Nurse Who Loved Me
New Reverian - Aurora Borealis
One Wing Ft. Pipsqueak - Stitches
PonyForce - A Canterlot War (REMIXED AND REMASTERED)
Caleb Hyles - Smile Smile Smile (Caleb Hyles) - Winter Wrap Up Week
The Wasteland Wailers feat. Brittany Church - Fly Like You

4EverfreeBrony & TrojanPony - Carry On
Freewave + Raecheveyc - Dark Horse
Igna [Affinity EP] - M
Lenich & Kirya — Love Me Cherelee (Russian Cover)
Limbo - Act 1 - Inner Child - Feat. Illya Leonov 76.15
Limbo - Act 2 - Forever Falling - Feat. Illya Leonov 76.15
Limbo - Act 3 - Guilt and Agony - Feat. Illya Leonov 76.15
Limbo - Act 4 - Clutching at Nightmares - Feat. Illya Leonov 76.14
Limbo - Act 5 - Alleviation - Feat. Illya Leonov 76.14
Limbo - Act 6 - C’est la vie - Feat. Illya Leonov 76.14
MLP Equestria Girls - Friendship Through the Ages
MLP Equestria Girls - Life is a Runway
MLP Equestria Girls - My Past is Not Today
SlyphStorm - NeverEnding Strife (rM)
Vaceslav - Lunas Just Your Problem
Wasteland Wailers - Fly Like You Remix (feat. Brittany Church, Nowacking and Emily Koch)
Wind Wolf - Ëijeleni Taali (Melody of the Horizon)

174UDSI - In Our Town (174UDSI Remix)
174UDSI - Strength Of 6 Ponies
Aurelleah - Elemental -Oh My!-
Delta Brony - In Our Town (Starlight Glimmer Boss Remix)
DJT - First and Foremost
FiMFlamFilosophy - Sinking Ships (µThunder & FritzyBeat Remix)
Fractured Elements - More Than A Mart feat. Buffalo Brony and Rhyme Flow
Freewave - Shiny Happy Ponies
Hydra - Mirror Pond
Jacob Padilla - Ride the Sky
Jeff Burgess (ft. Starbreeis) - Hey Foal Sitter
Pinkie Rose - So Close Bride Of Discord Version (ft. DaWillstanator)
PonyForce - Lunar Eclipse (Instrumental)
Ponytronic - Sincerity (Original Mix)
Sayonara Maxwell - In Our Town [Remix]
SharaX - In Our Town
Silver Note - More than one kind of magic
SkypauseBGP - The Pinkie Pie Boogie
StrachAttack - Rage Quit
Synthis - The Mirror
Wasteland Wailers Ft. Brittany Church - Fly Like You (Electro Swing Remix)

µThunder - Make This Castle A Home (µThunder Remix)
174UDSI - Applejack Lullaby (174UDSI Remix)
174UDSI - Make This Castle A Home (174UDSI Remix)
Aviators - What's Up (feat. SlyphStorm, FritzyBeat, Luna Jax, Faux Synder, EnergyBrony, and Jasper Synth) -4 Non Blondes Cover-
BroniKoni - September (FunkMetal Cover)
Carmen - Flutter Bass
Daniel Ingram - In Our Town (Sim Gretina Remix)
Daniel Ingram - Under Our Spell (Exiark Spellbound Remix)
Delta Brony - [MLP FiM x Diddy Kong Racing] Starlight Glimmer Cove
EM120X - Fluttershy model music (BGM Extended)
Ferexes - The Renegade
FritzyBeat - Fluttershys (Owl City Ponified)
Jastrian - FlutterBound
M_Pallante - Same Hooves
PonyFireStone - Make This Castle A Home (PonyFireStone Remix)
Sayonara Maxwell - Make this Castle a Home [Remix]
Sayonara Maxwell - Rainbow Factory [Metal Cover]
Sophii - MLP Equestria Girls ~Rainbow Rocks~ Friendship Through the Ages (Cover)
Swiftwind - Foreverafter
Tarby - Let Your Mane Down (D.notive cover)
Tarby - Nightmare Moon
The Living Tombstone - Die In A Fire (Feat. EileMonty and Orko)
Toastwaffle - The Pickup (Toastwaffles Remix)
Vaceslav - Friendship Through The Ages
Vaceslav - Make This Castle A Home

Album - Maressey - Rarijack
01 Maressey - This Charming Mare (Braeburn's Rarity Song)
02 Maressey - The Mare With the Thorn in Her Side (The Rarijack Song)
03 Maressey - Braeburn It Was Really Nothing (The Braemac Song)
04 Maressey - Pretty Mares Make Graves (Big Macinotsh's Song)
05 Maressey - Colt Afraid (The Sweetiemash Song)
06 Maressey - Panic (Applejack's Song)
07 Maressey - Manehattan (Rarity's Song)
08 Maressey - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (Coco Pommel's Song)
09 Maressey - I Won't Share You (Spike's Song)
10 Maressey - I Know its Over (Rarity's Song - Finale)

[size=+1]!KINDA IMPORTANT![/size]

Oh! And we're very close to swapping this ol' site with the updated new one very, very soon. We've ironed out a few kinks and just need to shore up a few more details before we let you loose on the new site. When we change over, we'll update you on our Facebook and Twitter channels. Probably within the next week.

Stay tuned!

[size=+1]- Recommended Reading[/size]

Yeash! There's a lot of stuff that built up around here...OK! Lemme sum it all up as best as I can!

So, Quill Inkwell, our Fan Fiction Moderator got back to us. And guess what? He's getting a metal leg. I'd suggest he get those sunglasses installed that Deus Ex popularised but then he'd look cooler than me. So...How about a waffle iron instead?

Joking aside, we're all hoping your doing great Quill. I hope the phantom sensations don't drive you too nuts and you'll be back to walking around real soon.

OK, so...I giggled way too hard at this. Aaaand this. And this.

Because Pepperoni is Magic! When-when it's on a pizza. That sounds less amazing out of context...

Well, Yami's been keeping busy. I'm sure anyone hoping for more of his show have been keeping on top of that. Although, considering his descent into Final Fantasy XIV, we might not see him for a long, long time. It seems to have it's hooks in him pretty badly.

Ah, Dilly! Why you so awesome? OK, OK, so I'm a bit biased here but Dilly's been sharing a little more of her Magic: The Gathering knowledge. For someone trying to get into the game (Although, my heart will always belong to the My Little Pony: Collectable Card Game), a few bits about cards I should be avoiding (but are pretty cool to look at) is interesting to me and I hope you'll agree. If your completely lost on Magic, however, she's now starting a little series on the basics of how to play. Very cool!

Hey! Did anyone read that Playboy article about the skeptic turning up to rip into the Brony Fandom only to get swept up in the atmosphere? A decent read.

Floor Tom, damn your good. Here, check out the artwork he posted on the site. Maybe ask to see a little more?

And finally, we end on reviews. Which I never expected to become a 'thing' on here but it sort of has. Not just with me as Morphin' Brony has be diving into the 90's disaster Godzilla. Now, I thought his delivery could do with work but it seemed a decent read to me. I also liked the comments by the Mane Six at the end. That I liked.

Then, there's my stuff. Because I do stuff too and I wasn't entirely quiet during my off period! I managed to tackle the disappointing Second Act of Broken Age. I delved into the murky, miserable world of what is now my favourite 3D Zelda of them all, Majora's Mask 3D.

I even managed a video review on Slightly Obscure Sonic Games.

Seriously! Animating myself in that, even as simply as I did there, took a lot of work!

Anyway, I hope now your trauma has worn off, your vision somehow unable to see Starlight Glimmer as nothing but a monster. I can tell you, I'm making the preparation for the nightmares right now. Anything that's smiling too much has already gone out my window.

I'm not joking, my copy of the Batman comic 'The Killing Joke' with the Joker grinning on the cover freaked me out so much, I might have given my sister a bruise with the force it was jettisoned from my room.

Anyway, remember: Starlight Glimmer is a Cult Leader, not a Communist. The parallels sync up too neatly. And we probably won't see any unless Twilight get's some big ideas about what exactly Celestia does for Equestria. So, thanks for reading and I'll see you about.

Byyyeeee!

 

It's very simple. Allow me to sum this up:

When you saw people calling those ponies Communists, your reaction should have been:

​