My Little Pony LIII: Stashing Ponythreads Around in Case of Ponymergency!

[Alabenson]

I told you guys, just as I first started trying this series, about how I accidentally ended up finding Cupcakes on TvTropes, and definitely should not have read it. It probably didn't help that I got linked to someone having -DRAWN- the thing, and I accidentally clicked it, and couldn't look away.

Someone said to note that there's an episode to which Cupcakes becomes somewhat of an ascended meme, where it -could- have happened, had she become more deranged.

And I ended up watching that episode (Party of One). And I remembered Cupcakes. As well as the animated version of it.

And it got in me. And it hurt.

Ah, I had a feeling that was the culprit. Well if it makes you feel better...

The part that annoys me about that episode is that people took it to say that Cupcakes was plausible when it shows the exact opposite. The very idea of losing her closest friends was enough to cause Pinkie Pie to have a mental breakdown. She would never, never do anything that would cause her friends harm.

...what he said. *rassum frassum pinkie'd*

Aw, you're trying to get rid of me? I didn't know you cared, Boffie!

Get rid of you? Far from it! Like I said, the retrovirus is almost perfected, but sadly I've run out of cultists to test it on. I'm quite certain that this latest batch will probably turn the subject into an alicorn without any significant side-effects.

[Trixie]

QUICK I MUST POST THIS BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES!

Speaking of which, they are wrong - it has been over a week from the date S2 started, in September. Yet, we still know nothing concrete about S3

Plus, pointing out month when 75% shows starts when the month where most of the rest starts is almost gone is sort of Captain Obvious. I wonder if Hasbro gave up on fans for some reason...

[Tiki Snakes]

It's worth remembering that;

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And I say that as someone who has one.
Actually, I self identify as a Winged Unicorn, and don't even come from the same planet or even plane as Equestria.
I refuse to get involved in a discussion with my own character.
Well, that was surprisingly rude. If this triggers an existential crisis I'll be forced to swear vengeance, you realise?
Wait, she hates me? I'm not sure I know what to feel about that.

Mostly I just like the picture.

Also, Cupcakes just isn't worth the effort of worrying about. It's not like it's even remotely in-character at any point. It has provided us, inadvertantly however, with one of the better Rainbow-Dash-Presents, though.

Edit: Best Alicorn.

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[SiuiS]

Um...

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...sorry?

And throw one more vote in for My Little Pony LIV:E Long And Pony.

Oh noo~!

>:I
>:I
(Also that's adorable)

To be fair, this wouldn't happen if you weren't so delicious.

(siiigh)
Braeburn... ♥

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I'm helping.

Yes! That one! Braeburn... Chryssie...

I'll uh... I gotta go. And... Draw. Something.

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I told you guys, just as I first started trying this series, about how I accidentally ended up finding Cupcakes on TvTropes, and definitely should not have read it. It probably didn't help that I got linked to someone having -DRAWN- the thing, and I accidentally clicked it, and couldn't look away.

Someone said to note that there's an episode to which Cupcakes becomes somewhat of an ascended meme, where it -could- have happened, had she become more deranged.

And I ended up watching that episode (Party of One). And I remembered Cupcakes. As well as the animated version of it.

And it got in me. And it hurt.

I was stable enough that I made a post about the connection, but then I was a bit sad for the next few hours, before I finally managed to make myself sleep.

There was a quote on TvTropes that covers my mindset pretty good, but for the life of me, I can't find it. Probably because they deleted a lot of the real life section of the site.

I'm accepting of sweet. Sweet isn't a bad thing. Everyone can use some sugar some times, even the macho people. Sweet is good. Not particularly for me, but still good.

And I'm accepting of ****ed up. I've seen ****ed up before in real life. And it happens. Life gets ****ed up some times. I'm fine with that. It's part of the intrinsic agreement that I accept by living. Not a big fan of it, but life, you know.

I just can't stand it at all when sweet combines with ****ed up. I just can't. And that's why people who write stories like that, or holy heck draw pictures or movies like that, or the fans that enjoy stuff like that, and even those people that get off on stuff like that; I don't understand. And I don't want to understand. Because that's ****ed up. And it ****s me up.

I can take it when the line between good and evil, right and wrong, that line of morality, gets shifted a bit, or bends, or twists, or shrinks, or even fanishes, leaving the story and the morals ambiguous.

But stuff like this just isn't justifiable to me.

I don't understand how "fans" can even think about doing things like this to characters, even if it's about a coupling they don't prefer. What kind of sick twisted mind someone has to be to take these horrid, discusting thoughts, and reproduce them in a freaking media form, so that others can experience them.

And how worse a person might have to be to -enjoy- such thoughts. And then there are people who -get off- on such thoughts (and yes, there are. Because there's a person for everything. And stuff that makes this look tame can only be accredited to people like that.).

And that is what I fear.

The best part? It's not a work of art, or a labor of love. This wasn't something someone did because teu thought it was a good idea, or a good story. No.

People were shipping Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie together. An someone decided that the best way to fix the egregious sin, that most terrible of dangers, that sickness that is two ponies in a relationship, by writing a detailed psychopathic murder story. And let's be honest, torturing your mind to dredge up horrible murder ideas isn't anywhere near as bad as letting people think about ponies, like, kissing and stuff. I mean god! Ew! Those shippers are the real disgusting, terrible people.
This would be, what, crude satire?

[Kairaven]

Season 3, being a short season, will most likely have a late start and plenty of intermission weeks where old pony episodes are shown instead. Just to drag out what normally would have been a 26 eps season. My guess anyway.

[Trixie]

The part that annoys me about that episode is that people took it to say that Cupcakes was plausible when it shows the exact opposite. The very idea of losing her closest friends was enough to cause Pinkie Pie to have a mental breakdown. She would never, never do anything that would cause her friends harm.

I *could* agree with you had canon didn't added fuel to flames by first showing CreepyPie (Green Isn't Your Color), then CrazyPie (Party of One), then ChaosPie (The Return of Harmony), then DemonPie (The Last Roundup).

As it is, well...

First of all, yes there are people who write crazy gore stories because they get off on them. There are also people who write crazy gore stories because they have curious minds and, perhaps despite themselves, are willing to explore the question "what if?" wherever it might take them.

The bigger question is why people read this stuff, why the ones who write really crazy stories get any popularity. And here, the motivations get a lot greater. Some people get a thrill from enjoying something that they rationally know is wrong or deviant. Some people, like the authors, simply want to explore, they want to know about things, even disgusting or awful things. Some people take Pinkie's lesson in Luna Eclipsed very far and really like to be scared or even disgusted at times because it can be fun to experience all kinds of emotion, even the bad ones, if you can do it in a safe environment.

Or, well, they might just not live in first world and death/pain might be much more common occurrence in their homeland. Literature depends a lot on culture, the fact we find some element alien/repulsive doesn't mean everyone finds it repulsive. For some, MLP might seem too 'unreal' so to speak, and they might try to make the world a bit closer to them.

This is flawed reasoning because extended mental illness obviously does not always lead to murder, but people get uncomfortable with mental illness in general and tend to extrapolate incorrectly, so it's not surprising.

It doesn't, true, but MLP (and western animations in general) can go far too far into opposing direction, making mental illness and senility stuff that can be turned off at will, usually played for comedy. I don't know, maybe it's warped Aesop about toleration, but to me, it just looks like trivialization of serious issue for a few cheap laughs, making me sick in some cases :/

And, yeah, Cupcakes isn't very good story. It's just a bad slashfic. Still, you can have a story when a pony goes insane and begins a descent over spiral of madness, even good story. It wouldn't be uncanonical at the least - except Pinkie examples above, we have Twilight's attempts to mindwash everyone and another with stopping time. If that can happen in portion that can be shown to young girls, there is literally nothing in canon stopping it from happening in more gritty story.

[Lix Lorn]

Then did you think you deserved thanks?

It was a joke.

[Welf]

I *could* agree with you had canon didn't added fuel to flames by first showing CreepyPie (Green Isn't Your Color), then CrazyPie (Party of One), then ChaosPie (The Return of Harmony), then DemonPie (The Last Roundup).

I thought it was NinjaPie in Green isn't your Color?

[Kindablue]

The best part? It's not a work of art, or a labor of love. This wasn't something someone did because teu thought it was a good idea, or a good story. No.

Cupcakes gave us that music video, and for that alone it should be praised.

[Kairaven]

you know... Nopony ever put forth the theory for "green isn't your color"; that every Pinkie appearance after the initial Carasoul Boutique scene may have simply been Twilight's own over active imagination/conscience.



edit: And now I have this horrible idea that "every" pinkie appearence is simply a delusion of Twilight's. And when you see other mane "five" interact with pinkie, it was simply Twilight they were interacting with, in her Pinkie personality. Gummy? That's actually Spike. Twilight actually works both in the Libary and Sugarcube Corner.

[Forum Explorer]

It was a joke.

I don't get it.

[Trixie]

I thought it was NinjaPie in Green isn't your Color?

I rest my case

you know... Nopony ever put forth the theory for "green isn't your color"; that every Pinkie appearance after the initial Carasoul Boutique scene may have simply been Twilight's own over active imagination/conscience.

If so, either Twilight is so mad (vide - S2) that Cupcakes cannot be said to be implausible, or inner mind workings of ponies are so alien to us that... Cupcakes cannot be said to be implausible

[Alabenson]

you know... Nopony ever put forth the theory for "green isn't your color"; that every Pinkie appearance after the initial Carasoul Boutique scene may have simply been Twilight's own over active imagination/conscience.

I considered that theory myself, but in her spa appearences you can see Fluttershy reacting to Pinkie Pie's sudden emergence, which would indicate that Pinkie Pie was really popping up out of nowhere.

[Kd7sov]

I *could* agree with you had canon didn't added fuel to flames by first showing CreepyPie (Green Isn't Your Color), then CrazyPie (Party of One), then ChaosPie (The Return of Harmony), then DemonPie (The Last Roundup).

As it is, well...

I would hold that the fact that a given label can be applied to an aspect of a character in badfic and an aspect of the same character in canon does not render the badfic plausible.

Also, characterization under the influence of Discord is only a potentially valid basis for conclusions about Discord.

[Soras Teva Gee]

I rest my case

By providing evidence to the contrary... interesting strategy

If so, either Twilight is so mad (vide - S2) that Cupcakes cannot be said to be implausible, or inner mind workings of ponies are so alien to us that... Cupcakes cannot be said to be implausible

Twilight =/= Pinkie

Does. Not. Compute.

[Anarion]

you know... Nopony ever put forth the theory for "green isn't your color"; that every Pinkie appearance after the initial Carasoul Boutique scene may have simply been Twilight's own over active imagination/conscience.

If so, either Twilight is so mad (vide - S2) that Cupcakes cannot be said to be implausible, or inner mind workings of ponies are so alien to us that... Cupcakes cannot be said to be implausible

I think that misses the point. This is a cartoon, and it needs to get things across in ways that are both funny and clear. If it were a more realistic story, Twilight would simply remember what Pinkie had said to her, as all of us, from time time, remember advice we've received from friends and family. In fact, I bet most everypony here actually pictures Pinkie Pie if I were to start talking about the Green Isn't Your Color friendship lesson.

The fact that the show portrays this with Pinkie popping up randomly is for humor and clarity, it's not an indication that Pinkie is an insane stalker.

[Welf]

edit: And now I have this horrible idea that "every" pinkie appearence is simply a delusion of Twilight's. And when you see other mane "five" interact with pinkie, it was simply Twilight they were interacting with, in her Pinkie personality. Gummy? That's actually Spike. Twilight actually works both in the Libary and Sugarcube Corner.

So Green isn't your Color was pony-Fight Club? (I wonder if I just caused the writing of a Tyler Durden/Rainbow Dash ship)

[Deadly]

I don't understand how "fans" can even think about doing things like this to characters, even if it's about a coupling they don't prefer. What kind of sick twisted mind someone has to be to take these horrid, discusting thoughts, and reproduce them in a freaking media form, so that others can experience them.

And how worse a person might have to be to -enjoy- such thoughts. And then there are people who -get off- on such thoughts (and yes, there are. Because there's a person for everything. And stuff that makes this look tame can only be accredited to people like that.).

And that is what I fear.

Others have already said most of what I could say. In short, there are many motivations for writing and/or reading such stories. For the record I mostly laughed at Cupcakes, because it was just so awful and dumb. I really don't have much interest in gorn-fics, even though I did write a rather short one of my own.

Why did I write that one? It was honestly just a silly idea, and I wanted to see what I could make of it. Sometimes that's all there is to it. I could have done more with the idea and turned it into a longer, more serious story but the thing about that is ... when you do that, when you get serious with a premise like that, the story almost inevitably turns less gorn because gorn just doesn't hold up for extended periods.

Cupcakes may not be a literary masterpiece, but you could ignore its stupid intent and read it like you'd read the Hannibal Lecter books (which I haven't yet read, sad to say), as a view into a sick, twisted mind or an exploration of some very dark ideas. Maybe the abstract idea is even the whole point, to explore our fears about insanity, maybe?

If only Cupcakes had been written properly it might actually have been worth reading a story about Pinkie Pie losing her mind tragically and murdering her best friend. Not to get some kind of sick satisfaction from the experience, but to explore an idea or a thought or to just feel that sense of dread.

As it is, writing a good story with that premise is not easy. And that in itself can be a motivation, as a challenge to yourself. Can I actually pull this off well, so it's more than a joke and something people would actually read twice? Probably not, but you just might.

I think that misses the point. This is a cartoon, and it needs to get things across in ways that are both funny and clear. If it were a more realistic story, Twilight would simply remember what Pinkie had said to her, as all of us, from time time, remember advice we've received from friends and family. In fact, I bet most everypony here actually pictures Pinkie Pie if I were to start talking about the Green Isn't Your Color friendship lesson.

The fact that the show portrays this with Pinkie popping up randomly is for humor and clarity, it's not an indication that Pinkie is an insane stalker.

This! Thank you!

[Forum Explorer]

I *could* agree with you had canon didn't added fuel to flames by first showing CreepyPie (Green Isn't Your Color), then CrazyPie (Party of One), then ChaosPie (The Return of Harmony), then DemonPie (The Last Roundup).

As it is, well...

CreepyPie (Or NinjaPie) doesn't do anything harmful at any point besides say she's disappointed in Twilight. It's more creepy how she's able to get anywhere including into a mirror.

CrazyPie I covered already.

ChaosPie is what exactly? Enjoying chocolaty rain or being mind warped into a grump?

DemonPie is valid but Applejack blatantly crossed the line there. And after chasing her down and pinning her what did Pinkie do? Ask for an apology.

So suddenly violent cannibalistic Pinkie Pie? Not supported anywhere in canon. Pinkie Pie is crazy sure. But it's not a violent crazy. I could see a fic where her mental breaks get worse and worse til she has to be sent to a mental hospital but her becoming violent isn't supported at all.


On Cupcakes what redeemed that story for me was the first Silent Ponyville which is a very dark story about a non-canonical Pinkie Pie who has been repressing a very dark memory from her past.

[Welf]

If only Cupcakes had been written properly it might actually have been worth reading a story about Pinkie Pie losing her mind tragically and murdering her best friend. Not to get some kind of sick satisfaction from the experience, but to explore an idea or a thought or to just feel that sense of dread.

Ironically, if it was written better, it wouldn't have had the same effect

[Trixie]

I would hold that the fact that a given label can be applied to an aspect of a character in badfic and an aspect of the same character in canon does not render the badfic plausible.

Also, characterization under the influence of Discord is only a potentially valid basis for conclusions about Discord.

Yes. But it also doesn't make goodfic implausible.

Also, I meant the scene where Pinkie goes "Chaotic Armageddon and end of ponykind as we know it? Fine, it has chocolate rain!" where she wasn't under anyone's influence.

By providing evidence to the contrary... interesting strategy

No ninja mask, sword, or shurikens. Your argument is invalid

The fact that the show portrays this with Pinkie popping up randomly is for humor and clarity, it's not an indication that Pinkie is an insane stalker.

Wait, she is not? :P

Also, my point kind of was that things canon does for humor are sometimes far more horrible than any fic, Cupcakes included, if we stop to think about them a bit.

[Welf]

Yes. But it also doesn't make goodfic implausible.

Also, I meant the scene where Pinkie goes "Chaotic Armageddon and end of ponykind as we know it? Fine, it has chocolate rain!" where she wasn't under anyone's influence.


Wait, she is not? :P

Also, my point kind of was that things canon does for humor are sometimes far more horrible than any fic, Cupcakes included, if we stop to think about them a bit.

Canon Pinkie isn't someone you would like to see run around with assault weapons or fireworks. And yet she does, and we like it. It's all about personality I guess?

[Topaz]

You know, a "Toy Story" style fanfic would be interesting with MLP merch.

I'll just leave this here.

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[Tiki Snakes]

Trixie appearing as if from nowhere and insisting on controversial theories? Must be page 49.

Edit: Nice comic. But wildly out of character Woody is wildly out of character.

Should have been pig-dude. Uh, Hamm isn't it? Woody is fundamentally not a jerk.

[Deadly]

Trixie appearing as if from nowhere and insisting on controversial theories? Must be page 49.

Best way to get the thread to move fast

[Kairaven]

So Green isn't your Color was pony-Fight Club? (I wonder if I just caused the writing of a Tyler Durden/Rainbow Dash ship)

Not just "Green isn't your Color", the whole series.

Friend Club!
Adventure, Magic, Cupcake.

Twilight Sparkle can't sleep.... The night ever lasting is coming and no pony believes her. Now she has been sent to Ponyville and meets a party-loving pink pony. Their hobby of friendship... may just spark a revolution!

edit: just so people know, this isn't an original idea... ponified Fight Club trailer pretty much casts exactly the same.

[Welf]

Look, look, ponies and TF2!

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[Trixie]

ChaosPie is what exactly? Enjoying chocolaty rain or being mind warped into a grump?

DemonPie is valid but Applejack blatantly crossed the line there. And after chasing her down and pinning her what did Pinkie do? Ask for an apology.

So suddenly violent cannibalistic Pinkie Pie? Not supported anywhere in canon. Pinkie Pie is crazy sure. But it's not a violent crazy. I could see a fic where her mental breaks get worse and worse til she has to be sent to a mental hospital but her becoming violent isn't supported at all.

ChaosPie was more playing complete antisocial moment for laughs. Demon... Well, I thought AJ was for once completely justified, Rainbow Dash couldn't just leave well enough alone and actively tried to ruin AJ's new job despite multiple requests to not to.

And no, cannibalistic isn't supported, yeah, but violent? Just ask Gilda (or others she "pranked")

Trixie appearing as if from nowhere and insisting on controversial theories?

Want to be hit with "Wizard" quote?

[Welf]

Not just "Green isn't your Color", the whole series.

Friend Club!
Adventure, Magic, Cupcake.

Twilight Sparkle can't sleep.... The night ever lasting is coming and no pony believes her. Now she has been sent to Ponyville and meets a party-loving pink pony. Their hobby of friendship... may just spark a revolution!

edit: just so people know, this isn't an original idea... ponified Fight Club trailer pretty much casts exactly the same.

Pity I wasn't first to some up with it. But nice video

[Balmas]

Pets!

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You see that demon rabbit right there? His smirk? That is exactly how Angel looks.

Cutelestia! (another large picture)

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Why wub woo, Celestia!

It's worth remembering that;

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And I say that as someone who has one.
Actually, I self identify as a Winged Unicorn, and don't even come from the same planet or even plane as Equestria.
I refuse to get involved in a discussion with my own character.
Well, that was surprisingly rude. If this triggers an existential crisis I'll be forced to swear vengeance, you realise?
Wait, she hates me? I'm not sure I know what to feel about that.

Edit: Best Alicorn.

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Dad, what's an OC?

Don't worry your little head, DB.

Anyway, Boffie, let's see that serum. I'll see if I can't round up some villagers volunteers to test it.