Re: S05E01-02: The Cutie Map

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Headless Horse
The yoke is strictly ornamental - Joined: May 23, 2011
Moderators: Perrydotto, Dexanth, Venusy, Wayoshi
SlateSlabrock wrote:I didn't consciously recognize until just now that the train to Equal Village stops there at the convenient end of the rail, lets our heroes off, and then just reverses straight back into the tunnel like someone rewound the film.
Headless Horse wrote:Doh
Fizzbuzz wrote:Aside from what PaulloDEC posted (which I somehow missed when I made that post), there was this one other case as well, towards the beginning of the episode:
I really would love to hear what the children of Starlight's village think of the process of getting a cutie mark. Are they all horrified at the eventuality of receiving one, eager to have it removed by their dear leader as soon as possible? Or, if they are indoctrinated enough to never even try to be good at anything, do they somehow manage to remain without a mark all their lives?
Fizzbuzz wrote:Aside from what PaulloDEC posted (which I somehow missed when I made that post), there was this one other case as well, towards the beginning of the episode:
I really would love to hear what the children of Starlight's village think of the process of getting a cutie mark. Are they all horrified at the eventuality of receiving one, eager to have it removed by their dear leader as soon as possible? Or, if they are indoctrinated enough to never even try to be good at anything, do they somehow manage to remain without a mark all their lives?
WandereringPony wrote:
Suddenly, the CMC's talent at NOT getting cutie marks becomes horribly interesting to the wrong kind of pony.
PaulloDEC wrote:Closer view of the map, if anyone's interested. Not every known location appears (I guess the map just shows whatever it thinks is relevant?), but I've got the ones I can identify pencilled in.
In terms of the big four (Ponyville, Canterlot, Cloudsdale and the Crystal Empire) it fits pretty well with the other map we have.
Fizzbuzz wrote:Aside from what PaulloDEC posted (which I somehow missed when I made that post), there was this one other case as well, towards the beginning of the episode:
Kitty Kate wrote:As long as you believe in yourself, darling, every pizza is a personal pizza
Chaos Sonic wrote: Earlier, Sugar Belle had described the process as "beautiful".
Chaos Sonic wrote:There was also an adult (possibly a teacher?) leading a group of children along.
Also, someone earlier pointed out that the spell to remove Cutie Marks looked painful, but I wonder if it was only painful to the Mane Six because they were unwilling? Earlier, Sugar Belle had described the process as "beautiful".
The Doctor wrote::nnngh: Presence of kids makes Starlight's plan even more horrifying. Does she rip their cutie marks off the minute they get them?
Fizzbuzz wrote: Or, if they are indoctrinated enough to never even try to be good at anything, do they somehow manage to remain without a mark all their lives?
Chaos Sonic wrote:There was also an adult (possibly a teacher?) leading a group of children along.
Also, someone earlier pointed out that the spell to remove Cutie Marks looked painful, but I wonder if it was only painful to the Mane Six because they were unwilling? Earlier, Sugar Belle had described the process as "beautiful".
Fizzbuzz wrote:Or, if they are indoctrinated enough to never even try to be good at anything, do they somehow manage to remain without a mark all their lives?
Factory Factory wrote:Then again, the equals mark was shown to be actively inhibiting the Mane 6's normal expressions of themselves. It's probably a more complicated spell than just a butt stamp transplant.
The Doctor wrote:The one problem with that is that cutie marks do not give a pony talent. Rarity was good with fashion before getting hers. Rainbow Dash did a Sonic Rainboom before getting hers. It was the equal mark that held them back, not the loss of their cutie marks. Those kids wouldn't have any limitations.They'd be filled with squeaky potential!
The Ghost Of Ember wrote:
If there's one thing this gets wrong about cults its that every one of the Markless turn once Starlight is revealed as a fraud. The reality is that in the light of fraudulence the fringes of the society bleed away and the existing core double down. This is why Jehovah's Witnesses still exist despite getting their prediction of the end of the world wrong five times.
The Ghost Of Ember wrote:If there's one thing this gets wrong about cults its that every one of the Markless turn once Starlight is revealed as a fraud. The reality is that in the light of fraudulence the fringes of the society bleed away and the existing core double down. This is why Jehovah's Witnesses still exist despite getting their prediction of the end of the world wrong five times.
Bakertoons wrote:Something I realized. Remember how in the 1980s, we had shows like "The Get-Along Gang"? Where they depicted anyone who has an individual opinion to be wrong no matter what? It was so bad that Mark Evanier created "The Buddy Bears" to make fun of this idea mercilessly?
Yeah, this Pony episode is the complete opposite of the Buddy Bears trope.
Wylie wrote:Paging Octavia to this thread for further analysis.
UnintelGen wrote:Jesus, you have to think how long some of them have been there. Hell, the indoctrination sequence was incredibly disturbing simply because everyone in the town, even those who wished for their cutie marks back, everyone found it normal to lock a bunch of ponies up until they became 'friends'. And some of them probably went though it too.
Fizzbuzz wrote:If children are taught to never seek this potential, though, then isn't it quite possible that they would never develop any talent in the first place? I imagine it'd be rather hard to do, especially in the pre-teen and teenage years, but if one of them is raised to hate, to fear success, then he or she will most likely never step outside of mediocrity for all the days of his or her life.
SlateSlabrock wrote:The children could certainly be brainwashed into never reaching high enough to find a calling in life, but that's when the real problem starts. They never get a cutie mark, so they never get an equal sign. Maybe at first Starlight Glimmer applauds them as the realization of their town's ideals, but then what happens when other children DO get their marks? The ones who never dreamed at all become the special ones, and either they wind up as Starlight's janissaries, or equal tattoos are mandated for all children to enforce solidarity.
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