• Pony Community Soapbox #102


    Community soapbox time, where opinions from around the fandom are dropped down below for you all to discuss and debate! Expect these posts normally when not late every Tuesday at 2:00 PM MST. To submit your own, see this post.


    Headlines for the week:

    • What if the series finale isn't a season finale?
    • Discord, the Bringer of Order
    • What would Discorded Starlight be like?
    • The Curious Case of Cozy Glow
    • Marks for Effort: Saying "I'm Sorry" in Words or Actions?

    And get your soapboxes below!


    What if the series finale isn't a season finale?
    By: MegaSean45

    Alriiiight! Back to speculating the series finale! Now, let’s say season 9 is the last season. It’ll likely be, but that could change. That means there’s only one more season left to tie up loose ends and give each character a chance to shine before it’s over. Now there have been hour long specials, like Forgotten Friendship, and the incoming Xmas special, so what if to make this season feel longer, after the 26 episodes are up, how about the series finale would be special as well? What length? I’m not sure, that’s up to the writers and what’s best for the story! ;)

    With the series finale being a special, it gives plenty of room for story and giving each of the Mane 8 and more a chance to do their part for the big finish! That means season 9 could end in a slice of life episode because the finale would be a special instead! I don’t mind the show ending at all, but I do want the show to end in a BANG, and with something unique and new! Something no finale has done before! An epic, funny, and heartwarming way to say ‘goodbye’ to the series, and would leave more room for more stories beforehand! :D


    Discord, the Bringer of Order
    By: nopony

    Discord can do many strange things. But are they really as chaotic as they seem? Scientifically, the amount of chaos can be measured as entropy. The second law of thermodynamics prohibits processes that decrease the total entropy of the system. From this point of view, there is a really interesting scene in "Make New Friends but Keep Discord". I mean the one where he seems to be doing the opposite of washing the dishes. Normally the process of washing the dishes increases the overall entropy. So if what Discord is doing is really the time-reversed version of this process, then it must decrease entropy, which means Discord can break the second law and bring order to the universe!

    What would Discorded Starlight be like?
    By: Empathy Cocoa with Your Mom


    You remember “Return of Harmony”, the BEST SEASON PREMIERE THE SHOW’S EVER HAD? Remember when Discord turned the Mane 5 into their opposite selves? Starlight wasn’t around when that happened and doesn’t have an easy single trait they can reverse to make an opposite version of her. She also is a medically diagnosable sociopath (I checked) that openly admits she nearly destroyed the universe over a friend moving way and consistently shows signs of being a bad day from becoming said sociopath again. What’s the Discorded version of that?

    Because yeah, I wanna talk about that. And not a huge missed opportunity in an (at the time of writing this) upcoming episode. So yeah. Discuss.



    The Curious Case of Cozy Glow
    By: Bernie

    The very first time we meet Cozy Glow, she tells us how Friendship School is too hard. While this may seem strange for a „Friendship is Magic“ character, in her case, it just fits perfectly. We’ve seen that she assumes that everypony who offers her a favor is trying to get a benefit out of it, she thought Twilight’s element was ‚control‘ and her cutie mark, a chess piece, implies that her special talent is related to manipulation and emotionless rationality. Talking about emotions, Cozy ran off to the forest to cry alone, probably ashamed to show this outburst of emotion she was ashamed off. Not to mention her „devious“ plan to get the CMC into the Friendship School. She’d be the pony who might get along well with the likes of Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer. Now, the show has had it’s share of villains being reformed, but what makes her so interesting is how she has all these villainous traits without actually being a villain. Now, we will see if the Mane 6 have really learned their lessons from Starlight, Discord etc. and if they can sense the danger and prevent Cozy from becoming a tyrant.


    Marks for Effort: Saying "I'm Sorry" in Words or Actions?
    By: ElementOfFaith

    Many of us pointed out one particular gripe in Marks for Effort: Twilight's lack of a verbal apology to the Crusaders for judging them without having them speak for themselves. According to writer Nicole Dubuc, Twilight allowing them to become tutors at her school was the apology and that actions always speak louder than words. I disagree with that statement because for one, speaking IS and action; second, there have been times when words can be just as loud as actions if not louder. Especially when intended to cause harm. But I digress. Twilight's gift of allowing the CMCs a place at her school could also be interpreted as "buying them off" without addressing the issue. An apology does require action; speaking and making up for the mistake, but could it also be said that in order to make up for something done wrong, saying those two little words is a good place to start? Starlight certainly learned that in the past.