MLP Forum Archive - Page 8953

#223801 Ace Of Scarabs Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:47:03 AM from Singapore

@Apple: No problem :D

@Rhyme: Hmmmm, tricky stuff. Maybe pony racial magic requires genetic sequences that don't exist in donkeys, so mules don't express the Dummied Out genomes that lack matching "partners" from their donkey parent.

Pagetopper.

edited 14th Jun '12 7:48:54 AM by AceOfScarabs

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#223802 Perpetual Lurker Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:47:41 AM

Zebra "cutie marks" seem to be quite different than what a pony gets, as it would appear to be an abstract symbol rather than an image. Of course, we would need to see more zebras to know for sure. As for donkeys and mules, I would say that they lack the innate magic that ponies seem to have (though I have a theory that donkeys are actually very long lived to make up for it), and that magic is probably behind the cutie marks as well.

#223803 Bluespade Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:49:11 AM from Texas

Plenty of the ponys have abstract cutie marks, so it's not really that different. Zecora's seems pretty similar to Celestia's in fact.

Element of Dullness.

#223804 Rhyme Beat Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:49:38 AM from Eastern Standard

Hmm... Horses do have 64 chromosomes while donkeys have 63. I guess those extra two must be the magic chromosomes.

edited 14th Jun '12 7:50:12 AM by RhymeBeat

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#223805 Applelight Limited Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:50:36 AM from Manehattan to Canterlot

I wonder if Donkies could be the dwarfs of this world?

Dwarfs generally don't have magical abilities, but are long lived, make great craftsmen and manual labours, and in some settings have magical resistance.

Tealove is best pony. Ask The Mane Six

#223806 Ace Of Scarabs Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:51:15 AM from Singapore

I'm thinking that Equestrian ponies have a longer genetic sequence than donkeys and the extended part contains the genomes that govern their Racial Magic.

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#223807 Perpetual Lurker Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:52:05 AM

Okay abstract is probably the wrong word, but Zecora's mark almost seems like some sort of glyph rather than a picture. They probably hold a completely different meaning to Zebras.

edited 14th Jun '12 7:52:40 AM by PerpetualLurker

#223808 Bluespade Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:53:52 AM from Texas

I think the simplest explanation is that they are the same. Same location, same sort of appearance, almost same creature. I don't see why they'd be different.

Maybe Donkey's have no purpose in life...

Element of Dullness.

#223809 Will Keaton Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:55:51 AM from Alberta, Canada

@ Rhyme. Horses have 64 chromosomes (32 pairs), while Donkeys have 62 (31 pairs). Mules have 63, whhich is an odd number and a big part of the reason they are usualy sterile.

edited 14th Jun '12 7:57:08 AM by WillKeaton

#223810 Perpetual Lurker Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:55:52 AM

Then how do you interpret Zecora's mark? It looks like some sort of sun symbol, but how does that relate to who she is or where her talents lie?

#223811 Rhyme Beat Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:56:05 AM from Eastern Standard

Hmm... I do want to see more zebras eventually. And I fixed my math stupidity.

I wonder why the showrunners decided not to give donkeys cutie marks and such though. The previous "rule" seemed to be equines have them. But honestly it feels a bit awkward having donkeys getting the short end of the stick.

I thought it was due to the fact that she was an oracle of some kind. She speaks in rhyme all the time, and knows a lot about a lot of problems.

edited 14th Jun '12 7:57:40 AM by RhymeBeat

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#223812 Applelight Limited Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:57:25 AM from Manehattan to Canterlot

How many equine creatures are there?

Horses, ponies, zebras, donkeys...what else is there?

Tealove is best pony. Ask The Mane Six

#223813 Perpetual Lurker Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:57:49 AM

Actually, a mule appeared in Applebuck Season several episodes before Zecora appeared in Bridal Gossip. The precedent was set quite early.

edited 14th Jun '12 8:02:37 AM by PerpetualLurker

#223814 Rhyme Beat Thu, 14th Jun '12 7:58:32 AM from Eastern Standard

Pretty much it.

Off Beat Ofense

#223815 Ace Of Scarabs Thu, 14th Jun '12 8:00:46 AM from Singapore

It amuses me that the same totally chill mule shows up for a running gag

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#223816 Bluespade Thu, 14th Jun '12 8:02:27 AM from Texas

Then how do you interpret Zecora's mark? It looks like some sort of sun symbol, but how does that relate to who she is or where her talents lie?

Don't know. We know almost nothing about Zecora, I don't think I could pin down specifically what her special talent is. Even if you could, the cutie marks are usually symbolic of the events that made their owners realize what their talents were. Fluttershy's talent is communicating with animals, but her CM is a trio of butterflies because they saved her when she fell to earth. Rarity's talent is creating beauty, but her CM is a trio of diamonds because discovering a cache of jewels is what led her to realizing this. Applejack's CM is a trio of apples, but her talent is running a farm, not anything to do with apples specifically. Cutie Marks are nebulous things, you have to know the story behind them to get the full symbolism.

Element of Dullness.

#223817 Ace Of Scarabs Thu, 14th Jun '12 8:04:01 AM from Singapore

AJ's tri-apple CM probably represents the family she had.

D'aaaaaaw

edited 14th Jun '12 8:12:10 AM by AceOfScarabs

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#223818 Applelight Limited Thu, 14th Jun '12 8:12:41 AM from Manehattan to Canterlot

And when Pinkie realised that her goal in life was to make ponies smile, she decorated the place with balloons, hence the trio of balloons CM.

...dam...I'm going to need to come up with detailed backstories for my characters C Ms too I guess.

Tealove is best pony. Ask The Mane Six

#223819 kegisak Thu, 14th Jun '12 8:13:33 AM

Well, Zecora's cutie mark is ostensibly a sun - that is to say, that's what most people see it as. So far her main purpose in the shoe has been largely expository, and Word Of God has said that she was originally intended to be something of a mentor figure when the plan was for a more adventurous show. So, it could be inferred that her talent is something along the lines of 'revelation', and the sun is representative of shedding light on something.