S04E22: Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

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Re: S04E22: Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

Postby Weird Autumn (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:20 pm

This episode is a ton of fun. The Twilight and Dash interaction is great, everybody's screwball attempts at edutainment are great (every single goddamn thing about Pinkie's rap video :lol:), and even Spike gets a lot of funny little background gags. The premise is bizarre and borderline nonsensical, and I really can't reconcile "I have to study for the history test!" with the fact that these characters are by all appearances independent adults, but I'm willing to forgive that just for how damn funny it all is. They put a pretty decent moral onto it, too.
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Postby Mechanical Ape (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:23 pm

I would want Dash as a friend, largely because I would fear her as an enemy. :grumpydash:

MochaBean wrote:It seems like both Dash and Rarity consider Fluts their best friend, so I suppose that angle could be milked for some drama (although that scenario may be too grating for some.)


This right here, seriously great idea. You have two assertive, dominant personality ponies ( :vogue: :offendash: ). They don't have a ton of overlapping interests, and don't even live at the same altitude. Then you put them in vicious competition for Fluttershy's free time -- Fluttershy, who has serious trouble saying no to anypony. The outcome can only be 22 minutes of awesome. They should really do this story.
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Postby Weird Autumn (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:26 pm

Also, what's with everybody dumping on Dash all of a sudden? Dash is great. Her complete lack of tact and slacker tendencies are endearing and often the source of some really funny gags, and if your takeaway from the episode is "but that's not how test-taking is supposed to work :twonk:" I think you've pretty heavily missed the point. :grumpydash:
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:42 pm

I think Dash gets a lot of flack for stuff that really doesn't represent her. Self-centered, and lazy being two of the big ones, and she is neither.

While there is no doubt that Dash is arrogant and incredibly confident in her abilities, that doesn't make her self centered. She often looks at the greater good. "Hurricane Fluttershy", "Dragon Quest", "Sleepless in Ponyville", all are good examples of her looking out for others. Even in "Dragonshy", her comments about Fluttershy were never meant to be hurtful or mean. They were the reaction of someone who has known Fluttershy longer than anyone else not thinking she was up for the job. She ended up being wrong, but her focus was always to get rid of that Dragon. I think Fluttershy's actions at the end are what led to RD being more forceful with Fluttershy an d getting her to do more things. She realized she could have more fun with her BPFF. :allears: :awesomedash:

Then there's the laziness, which most only point towards Dash napping instead of helping Applejack in "Applebuck Season". Apparently there were 3 other friends of AJ who didn't want to help either, because only Twilight showed up. And if that equals laziness, then Rarity is just as lazy. Remember in "Baby Cakes" when the Cakes are looking for a babysitter. Rarity is the only one who flat out blows them off with a "no bucking way". Everyone else to their credit had other commitments that made them turn down the Cake's but Rarity just flat out refuses.
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Postby ThunderBunny (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:59 pm

Mechanical Ape wrote: You have two assertive, dominant personality ponies ( :vogue: :offendash: ). They don't have a ton of overlapping interests, and don't even live at the same altitude. Then you put them in vicious competition for Fluttershy's free time -- Fluttershy, who has serious trouble saying no to anypony. The outcome can only be 22 minutes of awesome. They should really do this story.

10/10 - would watch.
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:03 pm

Mechanical Ape wrote:I would want Dash as a friend, largely because I would fear her as an enemy. :grumpydash:



This right here, seriously great idea. You have two assertive, dominant personality ponies ( :vogue: :offendash: ). They don't have a ton of overlapping interests, and don't even live at the same altitude. Then you put them in vicious competition for Fluttershy's free time -- Fluttershy, who has serious trouble saying no to anypony. The outcome can only be 22 minutes of awesome. They should really do this story.


Fluttershy hangs out with her BPFF, Rainbow Dash and they have a blast. The end. :v:
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Postby PictishBeast (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:21 pm

Can I just say I love how Aramek read this:

Niels Olof wrote:She is rude, inconsiderate, often contemptuous of others' interests, egocentric to a degree that makes other prima donnas in the show pale by comparison, and has repeatedly chosen violence as her first resort.


And immediately thought this:
Aramek wrote:All of those things are things I absolutely love about her. You just...nailed it.


...because me too, I guess?

I'm always puzzled when people point to massive character flaws as a reason for disliking a character, or when people defend their favorite character by pointing out how they don't actually have massive character flaws. It's like going back up to the bar and trading in your IPA for an O'Douls or something. :pinkieshrug:

I mean Rarity is my fave pony. If someone started listing off how she's inconsiderate, and how she exploits her friends, and how she's a huge drama queen, and how she's superficial, and how she's cruel to Sweetie Belle, and how she's witheringly judgmental, I'd be sitting there nodding with a huge creepy grin on my face going "go onnnnn..."
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:22 pm

Opposing Farce wrote:The premise is bizarre and borderline nonsensical, and I really can't reconcile "I have to study for the history test!" with the fact that these characters are by all appearances independent adults, but I'm willing to forgive that just for how damn funny it all is.

It felt reasonable to me. Neither tests nor learning problems completely go away once you are done with school. In fact, given that Rainbow Dash is effectively in the process of joining the military, I'd expect knowledge tests to be a part of that.


...Holy shit. You know what I just realized? The Wonderbolts are part of the Equestrian military. Even though I doubt she'll ever see any actual action, she's still joining something that needs her to sign her life away. That's gonna be a big deal in the future...
PictishBeast wrote:I'm always puzzled when people point to massive character flaws as a reason for disliking a character, or when people defend their favorite character by pointing out how they don't actually have massive character flaws. It's like going back up to the bar and trading in your IPA for an O'Douls or something. :pinkieshrug:

I mean Rarity is my fave pony. If someone started listing off how she's inconsiderate, and how she exploits her friends, and how she's a huge drama queen, and how she's superficial, and how she's cruel to Sweetie Belle, and how she's witheringly judgmental, I'd be sitting there nodding with a huge creepy grin on my face going "go onnnnn..."

For me, a big part of how much I like a character is how well I'd relate to them if they were real. If their flaws are things that would particularly get on my nerves then I tend to like them less.
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Postby Rachael33 (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:36 pm

Fizzbuzz wrote:It felt reasonable to me. Neither tests nor learning problems completely go away once you are done with school. In fact, given that Rainbow Dash is effectively in the process of joining the military, I'd expect knowledge tests to be a part of that.


...Holy shit. You know what I just realized? The Wonderbolts are part of the Equestrian military. Even though I doubt she'll ever see any actual action, she's still joining something that needs her to sign her life away. That's gonna be a big deal in the future...


I know! The Equestrian Military! The thing is, I wonder what other branches there are... I can only think of two of them, the Royal Guard and the Wonderbolts. It goes along with her element of harmony too... She has enough loyalty to Equestria that she is willing to defend it if need be.

Rainbow Dash, though not my favorite, has always had my respect. She may be lazy and arrogant, but she has drive. She has the wish to still be the best and she has many qualities I wish I had, mainly confidence. I may find her annoying, but ultimately, I am always routing for her to win, or I want to see how she pulls it off. That was shown in season 1, where she cleared the sky in 10 seconds flat. She proved that we should never doubt her abilities, and I guess that just stuck.
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:38 pm

But she isn't lazy. She takes her job seriously, and practices a ton in her off hours.
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Postby Rachael33 (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:43 pm

The Doctor wrote:But she isn't lazy. She takes her job seriously, and practices a ton in her off hours.


:effort:

I will give you that one... We just normally see her sleeping or lazing around, but if I actually thought and remembered back to season 1 and 2(where we did see her practicing a lot), I would have seen that...Sorry Doctor. :fluttersmith:
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:55 pm

I don't think she's lazy so much as she's stubborn and she does what she wants. She wants to fly a bunch? So be it. She wants to sleep somewhere? So be that, too.
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Postby Highbrow Dash (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:59 pm

Niels Olof wrote:She is rude, inconsiderate, often contemptuous of others' interests, egocentric to a degree that makes other prima donnas in the show pale by comparison, and has repeatedly chosen violence as her first resort.


I know! She's the best :awesomedash:
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Postby PictishBeast (?) » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:59 pm

Dash is lazy because that makes her more interesting than if she wasn't lazy. It's like, science and shit. :spike101:

Also Rarity is selfish, Twilight is a snob, Pinkie is inconsiderate, Fluttershy is passive-aggressive, and Applejack is kinda dumb.

We're not watching My Little Paragons, here.
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Postby ThunderBunny (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:07 am

Everyone has different ideas of what makes a character interesting or likeable, so it makes sense to me that plenty of people would like Rainbow Dash while others would think she's pretty much the worst. Dismissiveness and and carelessness toward loved ones happen to be among my absolute top pet peeves, so it really precludes me from enjoying Rainbow Dash 80% of the time. Some people are really thick-skinned and are entertained by people who are brash, stubborn, and rude, but others (like me) receive far more negative than positive from a personality like that.

If RD and I had an activity or interest in common, I can imagine being friends with her on a topical level, but I would never be able to trust her on a deeper level. I can't understand why her element is loyalty when she only seems to care about her friends in very selective circumstances. I'll grant that she is loyal when it counts the VERY most, but on a smaller / daily basis she's not loyal to anyone but herself, and that is just too much of a turn-off for me to get over. I appreciate having my life saved, but if you aren't willing to invest anything positive into the day-to-day pieces of my life, there's nothing to be had from that relationship, as I see it. :pinkieshrug:

I think the other ponies' flaws don't bother me nearly as much because, like many people's flaws, they only come out in select situations and comprise the minority of a given personality. The characteristics that I dislike about Dash (I won't call them "flaws" because that's obviously arguable) make up the *majority* of her personality, unfortunately.
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Postby Bremen (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:11 am

Rainbow Dash certainly isn't lazy as far as disliking exertion; even if she's naturally gifted, she still works extremely hard at being an athlete. But I think people are using lazy to mean she isn't diligent, and prefers to goof off and have fun rather than doing boring stuff, even if the boring stuff might need to be done. Procrastinator or undisciplined might be better fits, but I can see how lazy fits too.

And yeah, I'll agree that it's precisely because the characters have flaws that make them so fun.
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Postby The Outlander (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:19 am

ThunderBunny wrote:I can't understand why her element is loyalty when she only seems to care about her friends in very selective circumstances. I'll grant that she is loyal when it counts the VERY most, but on a smaller / daily basis she's not loyal to anyone but herself, and that is just too much of a turn-off for me to get over.

We've talked about the Elements before on these forums many times, and what it always seems to come down to is that the ponies actually embody the very opposites of the Elements they're supposed to represent. Instead, their Element is the thing they value the most and what comes into play most often in their life. If anything, the Elements represent the one thing they're bound to struggle with the most.
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Postby Octavia (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:20 am

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have the strongest non-familial bond in the entire show. If someone like Fluttershy, who can barely handle ponies with normal personalities, let alone brash ones, can see that Dash is amazing, then I don't know why so many of you can't. :grumpydash:
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Postby Aramek (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:27 am

PictishBeast wrote:We're not watching My Little Paragons, here.

Except for Rarity (diamond joke.)

But also because Rarity has no flaws. All of her flaws are in fact not flaws, because she has them. Is Rarity sometimes selfish? Good thing that's a good trait! :iiaia:
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Postby ThunderBunny (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:35 am

The Outlander wrote:We've talked about the Elements before on these forums many times, and what it always seems to come down to is that the ponies actually embody the very opposites of the Elements they're supposed to represent. Instead, their Element is the thing they value the most and what comes into play most often in their life. If anything, the Elements represent the one thing they're bound to struggle with the most.

I haven't been on the forums long, so I couldn't really know that this has been rehashed multiple times. Sorry. :pinkieshrug:

And the thought that their elements are the things they struggle with works for RD and somewhat for Rarity, but AJ, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Pinkie are all pretty good at their elements. --unless I am misinterpreting what you mean by "struggle."
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Postby ThunderBunny (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:53 am

Octavia wrote:Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have the strongest non-familial bond in the entire show. If someone like Fluttershy, who can barely handle ponies with normal personalities, let alone brash ones, can see that Dash is amazing, then I don't know why so many of you can't. :grumpydash:

My best friend from childhood is actually A LOT like Rainbow Dash, and I love her to bits, but she also drives me insane. I think growing up with someone cements a pretty special bond between two people that can over-ride a lot of personality differences. I doubt I would have befriended her if I met her as an adult.

OR, maybe it's just that Fluttershy loves RD as she is, like you do, and I say more power to you and Fluttershy and all other yellow pegasi who are RD fans. She's just not my cup of tea.

EDIT: Yowza, sorry about the double post. I was re-reading through the thread and forgot that I was the last person to reply. :flutterunsmith:
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Postby Rachael33 (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:55 am

One thing I have always seen Rainbow Dash is as arrogant...

That was until Saturday, when she broke down and sulked onto the cloud and thus killed that false idea of her arrogance. I guess I just see her as confident now, something I normally interpret as arrogant... Sorry if this opinion angers anyone... :fluttersmith:
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Postby Peregrine (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:15 am

Aramek wrote:Except for Rarity (diamond joke.)

But also because Rarity has no flaws. All of her flaws are in fact not flaws, because she has them. Is Rarity sometimes selfish? Good thing that's a good trait! :iiaia:


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*edit* Not meaning to be mean, but I just had to roll with that 'Rarity is a flawless gemstone' metaphor. :vogue:
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Postby Frosthawk (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:50 am

Richy33 wrote:One thing I have always seen Rainbow Dash is as arrogant...

That was until Saturday, when she broke down and sulked onto the cloud and thus killed that false idea of her arrogance. I guess I just see her as confident now, something I normally interpret as arrogant... Sorry if this opinion angers anyone... :fluttersmith:


You really are the Fluttershy of these forums. :allears:
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Postby Weird Autumn (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:55 am

ThunderBunny wrote:And the thought that their elements are the things they struggle with works for RD and somewhat for Rarity, but AJ, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Pinkie are all pretty good at their elements. --unless I am misinterpreting what you mean by "struggle."

Applejack struggles with honesty all the time. Just last week we had an entire episode that was all about Applejack struggling with honesty. Honesty is Applejack's element, but one of her major recurring character flaws is that she has a hard time admitting or sometimes even acknowledging the truth when she thinks it'll make things more difficult for her friends and family. Leap of Faith is one example, but it comes up in plenty of other places, like The Last Roundup (where she refuses to tell her friends the truth) or even Applebuck Season (which she spends lying to herself).

As for the other three, Twilight seems to pretty thoroughly be the most magic magic who ever magicked, but with Pinkie and Fluttershy we've definitely seen some uglier sides that work against their elements. Pinkie is the element of laughter, but her happy-go-lucky "I want to see all my friends smile!" attitude isn't as stable as it seems; the Party of One breakdown is the most obvious and dramatic demonstration of her psychosis, but there's an underlying fear of abandonment that shines through even in other episodes (Pinkie Pride, for example, where she's afraid her friends won't love her if she isn't the best at parties). Pinkie doesn't just love to see her friends smile, she needs to see them smile, because she's afraid that if everybody isn't happy all the time they'll suddenly realize they hate her and leave her behind.

And Fluttershy, for all her timidity and lack of self-confidence, has a real mean streak. This is probably one of the more underexplored aspects of her character, even compared to Pinkie's fear of abandonment, but it's there. Most of her episodes end up focusing on her more obvious surface-level anxieties, and "YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME" aside, the biggest, most obvious moment we have is the way she tears down Rarity and Pinkie in Putting Your Hoof Down. Fluttershy acts like a real dick the entire time she's "assertive," but in that one moment more than anywhere else she's absolutely vicious. It's the most unkind, mean-spirited, just plain cruel kind of dressing down you could give anybody (let alone your friends), and she laser-targets Pinkie and Rarity's flaws and insecurities in a way that goes a lot deeper than just casual meanness. Fluttershy can make those kinds of devastating criticisms because she's always had those thoughts. She's always noticed her friends' flaws, the things that they're scared of, the ugly parts of themselves they try not to acknowledge, and somewhere in the back of her mind she's judging them for it. Not consciously, not intentionally-- we see time and time again that she cares a lot for her friends, and that's true no matter how aware she is of their flaws-- but there's a little voice in the back of her head that's really nasty and unfair, and I think on some level she knows it. I actually get the sense that Fluttershy's super-quiet, shy (durr) personality is at least in part because of that meanness; she hates to hurt people's feelings, so she judges herself just as-- probably even more-- harshly than she judges everyone else and retreats into a little self-conscious bubble where she never wants to say anything even the slightest bit impolite in case she might hurt somebody. Fluttershy's scared of a lot of things, but I would go so far as to suggest that maybe what she's really scared of more than anything is herself.

Think all the way back to the Return of Harmony for a moment, and I'll leave you with a suggestion: Discord didn't change those little ponies quite so much as you might think.
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Postby Bremen (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:56 am

Richy33 wrote:One thing I have always seen Rainbow Dash is as arrogant...

That was until Saturday, when she broke down and sulked onto the cloud and thus killed that false idea of her arrogance. I guess I just see her as confident now, something I normally interpret as arrogant... Sorry if this opinion angers anyone... :fluttersmith:


I've always viewed Rainbow Dash as self deceptive. She'll always insist she can do something (and often be right), but when deep down she knows she can't she goes right on insisting with her hooves over her ears until she's pushed on it hard enough, and then breaks down. Like in Sonic Rainboom before the performance, or in this episode (TT123? We need an acronym!) when she completely ignored Twilight telling her she needed to study until the pop quiz and then started panicking.

Edit: This is also why I've always disagreed with those fans who insist RD and Applejack should have each others elements.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:18 am

Opposing Farce wrote:And Fluttershy, for all her timidity and lack of self-confidence, has a real mean streak...

You make a good point bringing this up. Despite how nasty she was in PYHD, and how I've seen some folks say they really disliked her for it, that scene just made me love Fluttershy that much more. With what I said earlier about relatablity, I also have that same bitter and venomous dark side to my own personality, a side that sneers and mocks and rolls its eyes at anything I might dislike, a side I always work against and keep hidden away since I know how emotionally devastating it can be. To those of you who liked Rainbow Dash or Rarity or whomever else for their flaws, would you say you share those as well?
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Postby Orange Fluffy Sheep (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:36 am

PictishBeast wrote:Twilight is a snob


It's more lingering self-absorption. She may no longer be the shut-in bookworm she was at the start but she still struggles with it.
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Postby Weird Autumn (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:58 am

Fizzbuzz wrote:You make a good point bringing this up. Despite how nasty she was in PYHD, and how I've seen some folks say they really disliked her for it, that scene just made me love Fluttershy that much more. With what I said earlier about relatablity, I also have that same bitter and venomous dark side to my own personality, a side that sneers and mocks and rolls its eyes at anything I might dislike, a side I always work against and keep hidden away since I know how emotionally devastating it can be. To those of you who liked Rainbow Dash or Rarity or whomever else for their flaws, would you say you share those as well?

I see some of my own traits in RD, I think, at least in terms of lacking social graces and having a poor work ethic. Really, though I think it's less that I see how I actually am than that I see how I'd like to see myself. I find a lot to appreciate in Dash's carefree attitude, passion for her craft, and utter lack of concern for what other people think, but I really don't have the confidence, the drive, or the cool factor that makes it work for her. I guess I would say I see myself in her flaws, but not so much in her strengths.
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Postby Just Scuds (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:06 am

I like how on the surface she's this chirpy "Yaaaaaay! Now everyone can have pie!" stand in for Celestia or Cheerilee

:excite: That's it! I think I finally realized what we all have in common with Maud! Something that just might be worthy of a very important super-duper special tradition that only the closest and bestest of friends can share!


and when she knows someone's jerking her chain... :-/
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Postby Rachael33 (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:50 am

Frosthawk wrote:
You really are the Fluttershy of these forums. :allears:


I can't tell if that is a complement or an insult. :ponder:

At that scene, Scuderia, I was half expecting Twilight to drop a few choice words. :gotcha: Even in the picture you posted, I can see her doing it. :-P
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Postby Rainbow Crash (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:01 am

Twilight is pretty rough with her books. She crumples up those pages that got blown out by Rainbow (even though they somehow become uncrumpled when she drops them) and lets her friend paint another book with a highlighter. Not to mention her previous episodes of "organization" where she just throws books on the damn floor. Not a very good librarian if you ask me :twi99:
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Postby MLPMan (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:08 am

So uh... Normally I watch episodes once or twice, and just certain favorite sections as clips. However, this episode I have seen at least 5 times...

I think I have to say this is my first favorite episode out of this season, and possibly entire series so far.
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Postby Adelor Lyon (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:47 am

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Yes? No? Please, can it be so?

(an actual reference, I mean. Because it's hilarious and amazing.)
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:10 am

Hell yeah, if that was a Snoop reference, I will love this episode forever. :allears:
:plonk: Image :)
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Round and round and round she goes, where she'll stop, nobody knows :pinkietoot:
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Postby Just Scuds (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:13 am

Miniature invisible lasso. :hilarious:
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Postby Niels Olof (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:43 am

Rainbow Crash wrote:Twilight is pretty rough with her books. She crumples up those pages that got blown out by Rainbow (even though they somehow become uncrumpled when she drops them)


i figured that those pages were loose leaf for her notes—otherwise the binding of that book would be truly terrible.

and lets her friend paint another book with a highlighter. Not to mention her previous episodes of "organization" where she just throws books on the damn floor. Not a very good librarian if you ask me :twi99:


That she is not, though there is hope. I turn your attention to this wonderful professional assessment of Twilight Sparkle as a librarian.
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libro
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Wide-ruled paper is for foals.
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Postby PictishBeast (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:08 pm

Opposing Farce wrote:Think all the way back to the Return of Harmony for a moment, and I'll leave you with a suggestion: Discord didn't change those little ponies quite so much as you might think.


This is the best post I've read in ages. You really nailed Fluttershy in particular.

Fizzbuzz wrote:To those of you who liked Rainbow Dash or Rarity or whomever else for their flaws, would you say you share those as well?


Sure, I definitely would say that. But I think most people would admit the same thing, unless everybody else really is a paragon and I'm an outlier who should be locked up. The flaws are what make them human, what make them feel real.

I don't relate to Dash because I ran track in high school, I relate to her because she pretends nothing's wrong when she's panicking on the inside.

It's why Shining Armor, for example, is so goddamn boring. Or why the "why haven't you found a boyfriend yet" angle on Cheerilee was so funny. More of this Cheerilee please

Image

:memories: "Congratu-pony-lations, Cheerilee, another year gone and here you are still stuck in this classroom teaching these stupid kids. God I need a cider."
Last edited by PictishBeast on Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:22 pm

A character lacking flaws is a big problem, too. That's largely why I came to dislike Twilight Sparkle, as so many of her flaws have been buffed and polished away compared to her friends. I definitely appreciate that Rainbow Dash still feels like such a real person, but it's just that I don't really like people like her. :modesty:
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Postby PictishBeast (?) » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:43 pm

Fizzbuzz wrote:A character lacking flaws is a big problem, too. That's largely why I came to dislike Twilight Sparkle, as so many of her flaws have been buffed and polished away compared to her friends. I definitely appreciate that Rainbow Dash still feels like such a real person, but it's just that I don't really like people like her. :modesty:


Agree with you on Twilight. She's been used as a peacemaker and exposition machine so much this season that I was starting to lose interest.

But this ep was prime Twilight. Not just her :twonk: STUDYING quirks but also her arrogantly cruel takedown of Rainbow ("I could pass the test!")
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