9227 replies to this topic

[Sesambrot]

Samaritan, on 02 July 2012 - 09:49 PM, said:

Hon. Mechwarriors;

In the course of searching for various MLP images, I foolishly turned to google images. I immeadiately began to have trouble with my computer. I picked up two really annoying trojans, one was the windows activation trojan, the other was registry scammer that hid files deleted the desktop, and made filled the screen with error popups. If you do decide to look for MLP pics, do your self a favor and go to one of the brony fandom sites or dedicated artist post sites, don't use google images.

Dude, what kind of pics where you searching for?
I never had any problem with google image-search, most of the results go to photobucket, deviantart, imageshack or other "art-hosting-websites" which are usually clean. All of the iamges I posted here were actually found with google, and I'm not having any problems...

correct me if I'm wrong but the only things I can imagine where google would probably link "dirty" sites is when you search for cracked software or ****...

[Samaritan]

The only thing I have changed about my surfing habits recently is the use of google pictures for mech and mlp pics. I am guessing about the source of these two malware annoyances, but several articles seem to suggest that Google Pictures is the fast track to state sponsored malware.


slashdot has an article on the practice here:

http://search.slashd...ared-by-malware

It is essentially an attempt to circumvent the varrious webmaster policing of thier own servers for suspicious behavior. The Malware will only activate within a google images frame in many cases. This has completely killed my desire to use google images ever again. Not that this is Google's fault mind you.

Edited by Samaritan, 03 July 2012 - 06:31 AM.

[yngvef]

Aldrai Sedai, on 02 July 2012 - 08:50 PM, said:

(Overused "Hatred Cannon" picture)

I understand that not everyone are able to embrace the friendship of magic and candy colored ponies just yet... But, hatred? really? I realize the picture is a pun based on the friendship cannon, but what you're really saying is that you'd prefer hatred instead of friendship. So I have to ask: Are you a demon?

So, to reiterate:

Edited by yngvef, 03 July 2012 - 06:27 AM.

[yngvef]

Saint Rainbow Dash forgives all your sins:

Edited by yngvef, 03 July 2012 - 06:34 AM.

[Samaritan]

I doubt the man is a demon Yngvef, Demon's incorporate as much good whithin thier policies and behaviors as is consistent with thier objectives; 1. Stay out of hell, 2. Usurp the authority of God in being worshiped.

Demonic activity is likely to be moral and relatively good, so your suspicions would likely be better turned to the nicest people you meet online.

Edited by Samaritan, 03 July 2012 - 06:36 AM.

[yngvef]

Edited by yngvef, 03 July 2012 - 06:40 AM.

[yngvef]

Samaritan, on 03 July 2012 - 06:35 AM, said:

Demonic activity is likely to be moral and relatively good, so your suspicions would likely be better turned to the nicest people you meet online.

So you are saying that bronies are the most likely demons? uh oh

But, I guess it makes sense.

[juxstapo]

[Captain Fabulous]

William Petersen, on 02 July 2012 - 08:50 PM, said:

Good to know I'm not the only one who did that.

I'm pretty sure I rewatched that episode upwards of 4 times in a row to see that it all happened correctly. It did.

[yngvef]

Captain Fabulous, on 03 July 2012 - 07:01 AM, said:

I'm pretty sure I rewatched that episode upwards of 4 times in a row to see that it all happened correctly. It did.

I had to rewatch several times to see if I could spot the switch in the mud. Also, I tried finding out if it was possible to see the horn under the cowboy hat. The eye thing was the first thing I checked though

It's always interesting to go back and try to notice the details of an episode, because there are quite a few. That way, the fun will be doubled:

[SuperTechmarine]

No please noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

[yngvef]

Xytaglyph, on 03 July 2012 - 06:29 AM, said:

i cannnot see the attraction to ponies. it makes no sense to me why someone would be interested in following these peculiar animals unless it was associated to some type of fetish...

Yet, you were somehow attracted to the off-topic, jettisoned communication thread called "Let there be pony"... Curious.

Or in the words of Pinkie Pie:

[Sporkosophy]

[yngvef]

SuperTechmarine, on 03 July 2012 - 07:14 AM, said:

No please noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

[Proxus571]

Nooooo fluttershy must not cry...

[Sesambrot]

Jade Kitsune, on 01 July 2012 - 11:06 AM, said:

Bugs clearly has sexual deviency issues, or is possibly transgender.

To exclude sexuality as a whole from the equasion is to take away a key part of what motivates a person.

Also the "Hurr Ponies" thing wasn't specifically aimed at you Major.

As for the "Dash is a Lesbian" debate... there is more within the show to support this, as well as other lesbian pairings, than there are for heterosexual parings. Ontop of this, a society with a 15% male population, to expect there NOT to be same sex couplings is simply insane. However I was trying to keep things clean, and away from sexuality as a whole in these discussions as the show does not outright state that there is homosexuality, to conclude that there is none, despite the population split, just doesn't make sense.

I hate to break it to you but MLP:FiM is far from the 'loving and tollerating' ideal we wish it was, there's plenty of hate, flat out raceism, and bullying within the show to prove otherwise.

Yes it's a cartoon, but if you're going to think and discuss the show critically... everything that makes up a person, has to be considered... to exclude even one of those things... it's to cause a flaw in your debate.

But apon reviewing your information regarding these things... You DO think about the shows, you simply do not put forth the effort to defend your statement generally, and simply settle at "I like it because I do." And that's fine... but if you're going to critically debate with someone on their view of said show... you have to come at it form a similar perspective... if you're going to try to support that Dash isn't a lesbian, you have to bring to the table the reasons, beable to cite from episodes things that support your claim.

Because again, if you cannot do this, then it's similar to saying "The Earth is Flat because I say so." you've brought nothing to the table to prove why, just simply your statement that the Earth is Flat.

Excuse me for picking this up again, but I actually find that discussion quite interessting...

I think what Fatboy (and I) were trying to point out is, that there can be a huge difference between explaining why you like something, and analising it.
I could explain why I like the show without analising the story, or characterising the protagonists. On the other hand there's all that literature we had to analize, where you can litterally (and I chose these words on purpose) analise a metric fuckton of bullshit into it, yet I never liked those stories or the people in them. I also don't go through live characterising everyone I meet to determine whether I like them or not, that would be very creepy!
When you actually want to critically debate something, I agree, you better be prepared to make a point and defend it, but this aint a piece of high literature we're talking about, it's a kidsshow... I used to laugh about the idea of people in 100 years trying to interpret and analise Harry Potter, and then make schoolkids read it and all that crap we had to put up with. I would be rather upset about people trying to analise too much of my work, instead of just enjoying the freaking story, which was what I wanted in the first place.
Back to my point, I would really like to know how people try to analize Harry Potter in 100 years, but it's actually already happening with MLP right now.
About that though, when do you actually need to critically debate it with someone?
The Haters will usually not care, and at a certain point your analisation cannot really explain why you like it, because that's actually where psychology starts, unless you're a psychologist that is. To me it all just sounds like you're trying to tell me or anyone else, that the show is good because it has sooooo much depth to it, that you can analise and interpret the **** out of it. That's the exact same logic my german-teachers tried to apply with all the literature they made me read, but you know what? Most of that crap still sucked ***! (Sry for language)

The only time I'd agree that all those analisations have anything to do with why you like it, is if you actually enjoy deconstructing things like this, looking for the very source of a "problem". (congratulations, that pretty much qualifies you as a potential scientist (<--- I'm serious about this!))



Now, for the sexuality of RD, or any pony for that matter, my first question is:
Does it actually matter? It's a kids-show, I don't think they had even really thought about that aspect when creating it, so.... well....

What makes you think RD in particular is "different"?
I'm curious, what is it that makes people come up with that assumption?
To be perfectly honest, I could see why you may think that she is homosexual, or even "transgender", but what are those ideas based on?
I don't have proper examples, to back my claims, and I have no intention of digging them up, but I think it's save to say that RD usually acts like, and likes the things you would actually expect a boy to do or like.
That's actually why I thought that the idea of her being lesbian made sense at first.
Thinking more about it though, I came to the conclusion that you cannot judge someone's sexuality based on that.
It's true that characters in the TV-shows and movies are often characterized similar to RD, because it's easy to recognize.
A female homosexual is usually depicted as somewhat masculine in her behaviour and character, while a male homosexual is usually depicted as overly feminine despite their actual gender.
However, while it seems to make sense, and is very easy to recognize, most of the time it doesn't reflect the truth. The character of a person, and the things he or she likes have nothing to do with their sexuality!
I know some women who enjoy playing/watching football (soccer for you amreicans) and other activities that are usually considered "boys-stuff", who are all heterosexual. There are also plenty of women in the military which is still considered a male's job by the majority of our society. Sure, there are homosexuals that actually match the medias depiction of them, but many of them cannot really be recognised that way, because their character isn't notably different from that of a heterosexual person.
Being able to judge about someone's sexuaulity by their "non-sexual" preferences (simply put the things they like/enjoy), is something we ourselves actually proved wrong! Most fans of MLP, most bronies are actually heterosexual males who have a girlfriend or wife, despite liking a girls-cartoon, so why do some of these very people claim to be able to do exactly what they have proven wrong, to someone else? Especially if the one in question is a fictional character from the show this all originated from.

So, unless you can give me a trait that is characteristic to at least 90% (sry, arbitrary value) of all homosexuals, or at least 90%of all homosexual women, and also prove that RD or any pony in the show has that trait, I claim that you cannot prove that the subject in question is actually homosexual.
Thinking about the whole "Is RD a lesbian?"-problem for a while, I'm under the impression that most of the claims, which say that she is, are actually based on popular assumptions, and the way the topic is depicted by the media. Simply put, it seems to me, that all people are doing, is to apply the stereotype of a homosexual woman to Rainbow Dash, and then conclude that she must be homosexual too, which doesn't do the show, or the character itself (actually the ones who created her) any justice.
I mean sure, there are a few facts about the MLP-universe, which you already pointed out, that make it hard to believe that there aren't any homosexual relationships, if you think about it logically. However, you also pointed out, that never in the show there are any indications for such things, so it is equally valid to assume that there are actually plenty of colts for a 50:50 split of the population which you just don't happen to see for whatever reason... ...maybe most of them serve in the royal guard.... or..... gee, i dunno


Because this post doesn't have enough pony yet;

Edited by Sesambrot, 03 July 2012 - 08:09 AM.

[Luke Garrad]

Rainbow dash is next to you, What Do.... XD

Edited by Luke Garrad, 03 July 2012 - 08:10 AM.

[DMFG]

Luke Garrad, on 03 July 2012 - 08:06 AM, said:

Rainbow dash is next to you, What Do.... XD

Bid your entire trinary against her in the hopes that some survive.

[Samaritan]

Hon. Mechwarriors;

A good half dozen psychological analysis profiles of a litterary charachter are very helpfull in determining what sort of response the character should have in your fiction. Jade Kitsune has referenced several such profiles in relation to her critique of the various auhtors for my little pony tv shows as well as fanfic. That back ground research into what I believe is her own intent to add her own contribution to MLP fanfic is the point of view she brings to an "intelligent" discussion of establishing and defending a position. That being said, the art of the greek argument can be won from both sides of a given debate with enough practice, so it's not so much an establishment of truth as it is due dilligence and consideration for the audience member's valuable time. Absolute truths are best left to the recieved wisdom of your creator exercised in the non meritorious system of perception known as faith.

As far as the debate here is concerned, defending and analysing ones preferred entertainment isn't necessary, but sharring the relative worth of that entertainment as something another should invest time in is. You're just being polite if you can quantify the time worthy aspects of the entertainment you are attempting to sell to another person. Doing that takes time and the developement of the technical vocabulary that enhances clear and concise comunication. Jade Kitsune is using some of the elements of good writing to make her case and asking that they be used when countering her arguments. As Seasambrot pointed out, this has been an interesting conversation in a pony image dump.

I have been wrestling with the Transhuman Singularity origins for Ponytech. The Raelian arrogance of jump starting the next step in human evolution by making the **** pony one male to six females is tragic gold for a fanfic. Sexuality is an interesting part of social critters and the pressures that such a circumstance have litterally helped me along in my own fiction by almost writing itself. Rainbow Dash is not gay because she is a MLP FIM tv character written at a time when such an assertion would be poorly recieved, but a story that hypothesises Manesainto megacorp genegineering to produce human organs from pony stock and winding up with pony people is going to have some serious gender issues between **** sapiens and **** pony. In such a venue to be **** Pony is to be **** Sapien. The Zebras that result from that are bound to be pointy white hat fodder FOREVER. Can you say Ponygroms children? In any case it makes for great story crafting as the sin nature leaves every PERSON with differing areas of moral degeneracy and immoral degeneracy.

Thanks for letting me have my say on the subject, I hope it was good for you too.





Respectfully

Samaritan

Edited by Samaritan, 03 July 2012 - 09:39 AM.

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

Sesambrot, on 03 July 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

Excuse me for picking this up again, but I actually find that discussion quite interessting...

I think what Fatboy (and I) were trying to point out is, that there can be a huge difference between explaining why you like something, and analising it.
I could explain why I like the show without analising the story, or characterising the protagonists. On the other hand there's all that literature we had to analize, where you can litterally (and I chose these words on purpose) analise a metric fuckton of bullshit into it, yet I never liked those stories or the people in them. I also don't go through live characterising everyone I meet to determine whether I like them or not, that would be very creepy!
When you actually want to critically debate something, I agree, you better be prepared to make a point and defend it, but this aint a piece of high literature we're talking about, it's a kidsshow... I used to laugh about the idea of people in 100 years trying to interpret and analise Harry Potter, and then make schoolkids read it and all that crap we had to put up with. I would be rather upset about people trying to analise too much of my work, instead of just enjoying the freaking story, which was what I wanted in the first place.
Back to my point, I would really like to know how people try to analize Harry Potter in 100 years, but it's actually already happening with MLP right now.
About that though, when do you actually need to critically debate it with someone?
The Haters will usually not care, and at a certain point your analisation cannot really explain why you like it, because that's actually where psychology starts, unless you're a psychologist that is. To me it all just sounds like you're trying to tell me or anyone else, that the show is good because it has sooooo much depth to it, that you can analise and interpret the **** out of it. That's the exact same logic my german-teachers tried to apply with all the literature they made me read, but you know what? Most of that crap still sucked ***! (Sry for language)

The only time I'd agree that all those analisations have anything to do with why you like it, is if you actually enjoy deconstructing things like this, looking for the very source of a "problem". (congratulations, that pretty much qualifies you as a potential scientist (<--- I'm serious about this!))



Now, for the sexuality of RD, or any pony for that matter, my first question is:
Does it actually matter? It's a kids-show, I don't think they had even really thought about that aspect when creating it, so.... well....

What makes you think RD in particular is "different"?
I'm curious, what is it that makes people come up with that assumption?
To be perfectly honest, I could see why you may think that she is homosexual, or even "transgender", but what are those ideas based on?
I don't have proper examples, to back my claims, and I have no intention of digging them up, but I think it's save to say that RD usually acts like, and likes the things you would actually expect a boy to do or like.
That's actually why I thought that the idea of her being lesbian made sense at first.
Thinking more about it though, I came to the conclusion that you cannot judge someone's sexuality based on that.
It's true that characters in the TV-shows and movies are often characterized similar to RD, because it's easy to recognize.
A female homosexual is usually depicted as somewhat masculine in her behaviour and character, while a male homosexual is usually depicted as overly feminine despite their actual gender.
However, while it seems to make sense, and is very easy to recognize, most of the time it doesn't reflect the truth. The character of a person, and the things he or she likes have nothing to do with their sexuality!
I know some women who enjoy playing/watching football (soccer for you amreicans) and other activities that are usually considered "boys-stuff", who are all heterosexual. There are also plenty of women in the military which is still considered a male's job by the majority of our society. Sure, there are homosexuals that actually match the medias depiction of them, but many of them cannot really be recognised that way, because their character isn't notably different from that of a heterosexual person.
Being able to judge about someone's sexuaulity by their "non-sexual" preferences (simply put the things they like/enjoy), is something we ourselves actually proved wrong! Most fans of MLP, most bronies are actually heterosexual males who have a girlfriend or wife, despite liking a girls-cartoon, so why do some of these very people claim to be able to do exactly what they have proven wrong, to someone else? Especially if the one in question is a fictional character from the show this all originated from.

So, unless you can give me a trait that is characteristic to at least 90% (sry, arbitrary value) of all homosexuals, or at least 90%of all homosexual women, and also prove that RD or any pony in the show has that trait, I claim that you cannot prove that the subject in question is actually homosexual.
Thinking about the whole "Is RD a lesbian?"-problem for a while, I'm under the impression that most of the claims, which say that she is, are actually based on popular assumptions, and the way the topic is depicted by the media. Simply put, it seems to me, that all people are doing, is to apply the stereotype of a homosexual woman to Rainbow Dash, and then conclude that she must be homosexual too, which doesn't do the show, or the character itself (actually the ones who created her) any justice.
I mean sure, there are a few facts about the MLP-universe, which you already pointed out, that make it hard to believe that there aren't any homosexual relationships, if you think about it logically. However, you also pointed out, that never in the show there are any indications for such things, so it is equally valid to assume that there are actually plenty of colts for a 50:50 split of the population which you just don't happen to see for whatever reason... ...maybe most of them serve in the royal guard.... or..... gee, i dunno


Because this post doesn't have enough pony yet;

*sigh* Alright I have two things to talk about here today it seems... First off, if I didn't enjoy deconstructing the scenes and all, I'd be very VERY crappy at what I'd like to do in life, which is Filmmaking. [might I add, that there is a hint of scientific method that goes into being a film maker, no mister "Boom" Bay doesn't count in this.] And science has always caught my interest. So perhaps that's part of where I find enjoyment getting "down and dirty" so to speak with my analizations of this show. And others.

As for when you may need to critically debate something like this, alot of times, within the fandom. Often to combat Headcanon that people are making uninformed assumptions of and have stated "I really dislike this episode for X reason" say that's your favorite episode, perhaps you can bring up points that make them re-evaluate the episode. Or perhaps you have a certern view, that's coming under fire within the community, you need to beable to back yourself up to remain credible within a fandom.

Now on to RBD's Sexuality. *breaks out the episode bible*
I'm going to attempt to avoid 'fanon' as much as possible, but if I do delve into it a bit, I'll try to explain my reasons for it.

Now you bring up some very, very good points Sesambrot, About how one could make the assumption that Dash is a lesbian, or you could even argue for her being Transgendered [two different things I assure you, but you could make the leap] so I'm going to split this into two things, gender and sexuality.

Rainbow Dashes Gender: We've seen often enough that Dash does not enjoy being "Girly" she's pretty much stated that she dislikes girly stuff, ontop of this she's while, not the most masculine, she's into "Machismo" proving she's Awesome, proving she's better at sports, or flying, or what have you. She has a very Macho attitude towards loosing, and towards winning. While part of this is her external shell to hide her insecurities, one could delve into how she views herself from a gender perspective, It's possible she's gender fluid, slipping back and forth between feminine and masculine freely, as we HAVE seen her be a bit girly on occasion, without being forced to, she did enjoy her Gala dress once it was finished for instance. So I would argue, that gender wise, she's probably Gender Fluid, leaning towards Masculine tendencys. which COULD lead to more comfort as a Colt, but that would be up to her as an individual to decide.

Rainbow Dashes Sexuality: Now this is where things get interesting. I would personally argue that Rainbow Dash is atleast bisexual, with lesbian tendencys, Our first example of a relationship Dash was in would be Gilda, in "Griffon the Brush Off" The entire episode comes off as hanging out with her girlfriend from highschool. Gilda is Clearly, the older, butch of the two. What struck me as odd about the entire episode was how, protective Gilda was over Dash, she felt pinkie was trying to get in the way and kept trying to get her away so she could be alone with Rainbow Dash, There's the "Chant" the Jr Speedsters flightschool chant, that Gilda relents to reciting with Dash, that's the kind of thing you'd do for someone you love, not just a friend you hang out with [especially considering it's fairly embarassing] Also there's the "fight" at the end of the episode, that completely comes off as a lover's quarell. When Gilda is demanding that Dash follow, while Dash refuses, the entire thing comes off as a couples fight. Not close friends.

Now the next thing that kinda... as I said somewhat steps into fanon terrority, is the "Wing *****" Fans have made the observation that when a pegasus is 'excited' in whatever way, their wings extend. this has been dubbed the "wing *****" In "Over a Barrel" is where the term really came to fruit, when we see Dash standing in the crowd before the preformance, yet when she see's Pinkie Pie all dressed up, her wings extend, stay that way for the duration of the preformance, then return to her sides after. One could argue that seeing Pinkie all dressed up like that did "excite" Dash a bit. There's also some of Dashe's interactions with the Buffolo princess this episode, But that's of a lesser note.

One could also construe the event's of "Fall weather friends" as sexual tension between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. But that's a bit more of a streach for me, but mostly because any romantic tension that could be between AJ and Dash is already there with AJ and Rarity. Also Season 2 pushes Dash a bit further away from the main cast than Season 1... so it's unlikely anything would come up between AJ/Dash these days.

There's also the issue of her color pallet, which the rainbow is of course known as the symbol of the GLBTU community. But that's simply assigning her a role based on how she looks, and not how she acts.