Well I certainly don't live in a hell hole. It's pretty alright here.

@David: "Might be" nothing. There's a reason that there are a crapton of darkfic about the setting. I just don't see the appeal. Part of the reason I like the show so much is that it proves you can have a nuanced and interesting setting and characters without resorting to cynicism.

Yeah, reality as a whole isn't a hellhole. Parts of it definitely are, but the whole thing definitely isn't. Some things suck, some things are okay.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:31:00 PM by JapaneseTeeth

But... the world is what you make of it. Interpretation, and all.

I agree with JT that there doesn't need to be all sorts of horrible stuff going on off screen. There's plenty of details about the setting that would lead to it not being as harsh as reality. The whole immortal goddess queen for instance.

Interpretation only goes so far. There are some aspects of the world that are pretty unambiguously terrible.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:33:15 PM by Crowfall

@Japanese Teeth Well I say might because it could be a case of Vocal Minority.

This is true episcally what happen that Friday the 14th. But to say life is nothing but despair is very unrealistic.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:35:58 PM by DavidtheMouse14

Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel about the show's setting in general, and I generally dislike the implication that the ponies are just inherently "better" (morally, ethically whatever) then humans.

Indeed.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:37:04 PM by Mio

Because really, personality wise, the ponies we've seen are exactly like humans.

I thought it was Angel turning from a somewhat grouchy Silent Snarker to outright abusive to Fluttershy that turned people off PYHD.

Oh and the fact all the characters that picked on Fluttershy in the first half aren't seen again or get away with it. From experience I know the majority of cartoon fans hate Karma Houdinis.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:37:48 PM by Psi001

Despite, every single thing we've seen saying that? now that pisses me off, people assuming that it's impossible for any culture to not be as fucked up and full of shit as ours. Everything we've seen says they are, therefore, they are.

oh yeah and Angel

edited 30th Dec '12 6:36:55 PM by Seraphem

I don't think I'd go as far as saying that ponies are inherently better, but it does seem to me that the cosmology of the setting as a whole is far more conducive to improving interpersonal relationships. When The Power of Friendship is a concrete reality, and the world is literally powered by compassion and whatnot...

Also, I'm kinda curious what's so terrible about the idea that ponies might be considered inherently friendlier than humans. I get that it's no excuse for Humans Are Bastards style bashing on reality, but I don't think there's anything wrong with creating a setting inhabited by characters who are naturally nicer. (Note, I'm not saying they are, just asking why some people are so opposed to the concept.)

edited 30th Dec '12 6:39:20 PM by JapaneseTeeth

What do you mean? The incompetance was Rule of Funny. It happens to everypony. Remember how Spike once lost a fight with a chicken?

Spike has always been The Load physically. Even in The Crystal Empire he stumbled beyond the bare neccessity for Cadence to see him and do the rest of the job.

This episode and Dog And Pony Show have in fact been the only points he's actually done something remotely badass (and even in DAPS it was all for nothing).

edited 30th Dec '12 6:42:16 PM by Psi001

I'm pretty sure everyone had there days of being a klutz before.

Spike got in a fight with Scootaloo?

"Exactly like humans" have yet to see pony religious zealots, suicide bombers, corporations, lawyers, lobyists, strip mining, genocide, rape gangs, drug rings, murderers, prisons, hate groups opr any of the other thousands of fucked up things human do so no, they aren't.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:41:32 PM by Seraphem

Oh, that's a knee-slapper.

Do ponies have knees?

I don't think ponies are inherently better than humans, but I do think that the setting generally conditions them to be better. There's actually a running theme in Fallout Equestria that the ponies aren't terrible, its the wasteland basically forcing them to be. So I guess my opinion is that the ponies are basically human, but nicer because Equestria allows them to be.

I think he did realize after a while but that only made him want to help more to balance out his previous mistakes.

Most animals with leg joints have knees :P

Or maybe it's candy.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:44:09 PM by TheFreeman

This is a rather strange thing make a discussion out of.

In case you guys forgot this show is mainly a lighthearted series.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:44:37 PM by DavidtheMouse14

Yeah, ponies have knees. I'm not up on biology enough to know exactly where they would be, though.

As for ponies inherent niceness, I'm honestly not sure how much of it is inherent to them, or whether it's conditioned. I would lean towards conditioned, but at the same time it's a bit weird to say that the setting itself (i.e. the laws of physics run on positive emotions), but the ponies don't, so it might be a bit of both. Ultimately I think I might end up saying that ponies aren't better than humans in the sense that they could end up being as bad, but they wouldn't be as naturally disposed to it.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:46:58 PM by JapaneseTeeth

I consider his obliviousness on par with Twilight's (who is a prodigy intelligence wise). Both characters are renowned for being Innocently Insensitive and having a poor attention span when overfocused on something.

edited 30th Dec '12 6:44:40 PM by Psi001

AB: How about no

Awesome line here

Smile :D

Chibi human!Applebloom :3

edited 30th Dec '12 6:45:21 PM by AceOfScarabs

Or Equestria is nicer, becuase that's how ponies simply ARE. It allows them to be nicer, becuase that's the type of world they made.

and no not saying a pony is instantly better then a human, but that the "worst" is still above the overall average, and on the whole are about what the best humans are. it's just there natural default is to be nice and friendly and helpful, and yeah, it's what ALL the evidence seen points to.