May
21st
2017
Points of Canon: S7x11 - Not Asking for Trouble · 5:15pm May 21st, 2017
This is being written up immediately after the Canadian airing, yak-yak-yak….
You have been warned appropriately.
- It’s not winter in Ponyville, and Applejack is picking apples, but later on, Rutherford says that yaks will wait until spring. Which implies that it has to be either summer or autumn, not that it helps much.
- Twilight’s book once again has the title on the wrong side.
- Pinkie says “oh my gosh” repeatedly.
1. That is, a picture of that yak’s head carrying a letter in teeth.
Yak letter is addressed “To pink pony who lives with baked goods.” I wonder how that got delivered, because Pinkie’s letters are delivered to Rutherford by a yak, who has a recursive picture1 on his (or her?) helmet.
- Yakslurbertfest is a “sacred” yak holiday. Notably, ponies very rarely use the word.
- Pinkie writes letters on pink paper.
- Starlight is not in evidence anywhere in the episode.
- Fluttershy says, “Plus, doing friendships is what ponies do.” Mmm… Since when?
- Twilight, after some badgering by Pinkie, proclaims: “I hereby make Pinkie Pie the official friendship ambassador to Yakyakistan.” So, does this statement have any political consequences or not?
- Trips to and from Yakyakistan are accomplished via balloon, this time, which at least gives the excuse why they’re so fast – but we still don’t know who owns the goddamn thing!
- These two gigantic statues had to have been chiseled from a single block of wood. Where did yaks acquire tree trunks at least fifteen meters in diameter?
- The synopsis called Yakyakistan a “rustic village.” This is, in fact, all we see on screen. This, of course, cannot be all that Yakyakistan is, because otherwise, what was the point of being diplomatic with them, or preventing a war between yaks and griffons, when the entire nation does not exceed 30 households. But what, exactly, is this fort, then?
- Yaks are ridiculously strong for their size if they can crush wooden logs like this. But where did they get the logs?
- Yak huts are built primarily from mud, and it’s a wonder how they survived if they stomp so much right next to them, when Pinkie made a hole just by poking a hoof at a wall. It’s even more of a wonder how they survive an avalanche later in the story.
- The entire village is arranged in a very communal way – “yak eating hut,” “yak sleeping hut,” “yak music hut…” Which is somewhat strange when there are about 30 huts in the fort.
- Rutherford claims that yaks grow their own vanilla beans. Vanilla is a tropical plant. That would require earth pony style magic. There’s a cornfield right inside the fort amidst patches of snow, and it has yellow corn ears on it…
- At the ceremonial fire, Rutherford tells a story that ends with “and that is how yaks defeat evil and save world.” I would love to know what the evil was.
- “Avalanches like this completely bury your homes every Yakslurbertfest? Really?” Pinkie would be awesome at Cinema Sins. She repeats this later, reacting to Rutherford’s story about a hole. Unfortunately this doesn’t save her from committing stupidity of a similar level later on.
- Pinkie once again uses her hair drill, first seen in Bats! I think.
- So why does Pinkie insist on going back to Ponyville for help, rather than to Crystal Empire, which is next door, or, well, anywhere else? Why wouldn’t any other yak settlements help, if they exist?…
- Pinkie spends at least one night out in the snow, with no shelter whatsoever, and doesn’t even get a cold. Gummy is not any more lethargic than usual either.
- Pinkie’s story involves sapient goats and cows, introducing further ambiguity into the sapience status of goats, as if it wasn’t problematic enough.
- And now, finally, for the first time in primary canon in my memory, we see a proper crescent moon in present time, and not on a picture or as part of iconography. Notably, this is the storybook kind of crescent moon, the one that looks like the shadow on it is cast by a much smaller, spherical body. I’m not even sure this sort of shadow is possible at all. But we already knew that the moon shines by itself, didn’t we.
- Pinkie once again uses her night vision goggles. What is the purple lens in the middle for, though?
- Rarity lifts at least half a ton of snow.
- Twilight uses magic to restore the growing corn. You’d think it would be something for an earth pony to do, but no. I am pretty sure it wouldn’t be much help, either, because if it’s autumn, it’s unlikely the corn will have enough time to grow.
- So which yak died for Pinkie to get their horns? Because that’s the only way to make such a helmet for her, unless they all wear horns as part of their helmets, including children…
Some things in this episode are profoundly stupid. Some of these I can glaze over or rationalize, but I’m tempted to dismiss the episode as an anecdote.
Crossing out “Foreign Lands” for Yakyakistan.
Chronology: Pinkie insisting on calling the Mane 6 in to help, is not profoundly stupid only in one case – if this episode precedes the goodwill tour to Yakyakistan that occurs during Dungeons and Discord or otherwise happens very very soon after Party Pooped. Thankfully, it can – there are almost no markers in this episode and no Starlight either.
Given how the ponies take the train to Yakyakistan in "Dungeons and Discords," this almost certainly precedes it. The disaster recovery gave a reason for them to extend the track to the yaks for the next time this happens. Or, as Rutherford likely put it, "so ponies can enjoy traditional yak snow kimchi when available." Plus, it explains why all of the Mane Six got called up, rather than just Pinkie. She may be the honorary yak, but Rutherford probably knows that the others didn't just watch her. Probably. Honestly, I half-suspect that Rutherford's been exiled from Yakyakistan proper due to terminal stupidity, though I'm not sure why he still gets to inflict said stupidity on other yaks.
Also, yaks consistently don't use names. Ever. How did they even determine that Prince Yak is named Rutherford, anyway?
4541452
Good point.
Actually, that would explain a lot.
He had it written on his helmet in ancient yak runes, presumably.
4541452 So Rutherslovosk is actually the back-country dungheap Rutherford's exhausted and irate family have exiled their idiot crown prince to, in hopes he perishes of cold or under an avalanche? That works.
You know, the whole goat thing only provides further evidence for my flexible sophant rating theory.
*avoids reading yet*
Your bingo card has a very promising bottom row there; I doubt Chrysalis will appear without a Worfed Princess.
4541452
4541473
This concept amuses me, and I like it. But it does make me curious about where Equestria factors into things, because exile or not, Rutherford opened diplomatic relations between ponies and yaks. And between griffons and yaks. And maybe with other species too. So what do we think? Was Rutherford actually allowed to do this? Was he instructed to by the king to prove himself? Has he gone rogue? All the possibilities are interesting in their own way.
4541543
He got exiled to the border fort for threatening war without authorization and nearly succeeding in angering the country that can cause irreparable economic damage just by slightly altering the sun's trajectory.
Inviting Pinkie was a failed, stupid attempt to restore his position.
4541550
10/10.
Does it give Pinkie Pie diplomatic immunity?
When did you mark off "Armour on a non-guard"?
At least someone's talking about Rutherford getting character traits.
Speaking of which, I concur with the idea of him being a recent political exile. As for the population surrounding him, they're his groupies. They've spent so long waiting for the reunion tour of his hair metal band (the forming of which is an essential coming-of-age ritual for any royal yak) that they've started on a second generation.
4541990
MitchH noticed that I should have marked that and Dark Magic for Nightmare Moon / Daybreaker in the previous episode.
Well to be fair, since Twilight showed up?
BTW, Fluttershy said "Fostering..." not "Plus, doing...". The audio on the YouTube video was horrific.
Twilight took Pinkie's promotion to Official Ambassador as so important, she sacrificed a bookmark for it. And spreading your wings seems to be a mark of alicorns making official statements. Just saying. It seems to add gravity.
Also, apparently becoming the "Friendship Ambassador to the Yaks" is officially the most exciting day of Pinkie's life, and not the day she got her cutie mark. But I guess that if you're Pinkie Pie, that title is revolving, promiscuous, and infinitely renewable.
I enjoyed the episode, for the most part. But I have to admit the end was kind of..."So what exactly is the take away here?"
Luna is just in a crescent-y mood, maybe? (Assuming that means Luna can control the moon's appearance, which honestly doesn't feel that far off.)
4542427
If she can, it would be quite pointless to measure time in moons, though.
4542455
Point taken.
This does bring up a good point. Is that one small village all of Yakyakistan, or not? if it is, why isn't Prince Rutherford King Rutherford? Do non-ponies also have this aversion to the title? How have the avalanches not happened before every year for the festival?
Agree on this episode taking place before Dungeons and Discords.
Am I crazy for wanting to see romance blossom between Pinkie and Rutherford?
4544332
Rutherford says they did happen every year, just never this big. Because he’s a showoff.
A little.
Twilight does seem to have some official title-conferring/position-granting power.
the full load of Pink[ie] letters makes one wonder about the courier frequency to Yakyakistan, or if Pinkie is just writing letters hyperactively.
4541473
Yinz missed the obvious answer option: Fort Yakyakistan, Yakyakistan Principality, [Country of] Yakyakistan.
Those wood statues.Noted. But also with torches. How do they light those? Or keep them lit?The yaks aren't sufficiently efficient at clearing snow to make "throw lots more yaks at it" an actual solution.
Well, Pinkie is mistaking it for Earthquakes at first.
Also notable is how Pinkie is not as capable of smashing wood as she is rocks (alt-timelines), as she has some difficulty breaking that twig…on the other hand, it's rather greener than the other wood, and on snow.
♪"Check yourself before [you] wreck [your]self" …hmm.
That self-aware "century-old passed down through generations sacred twig" was a good trick…but also points out that those ∃ somewhere, or at least in story.
Drllhair Pinkie[noted]♪"It would take a thousand moons for it to melt" …yeah, right.
♪"HArdship make yak strong!" Underscoring and giving voice to how Yaks are Proud Stoic.
♪"Lead a yak to water but you better not let them know" [horse proverb]
♪"couscous"
♪"Is it greenish-red?" Is she stating Breaded Eggs [not linking to tropes] or has she got some manner of super-colorvision?
♪"Twenty million questions" yeah, no, at any reasonable rate that's a year-ish Earth time, without rest.
Pinkie…and Yaks…can make snow sculptures of food, quite well.
Most of what I noted down yinz already caught. Those are some interesting 3-lens goggles…and partial stealthwear, now in non-cutie-mark-covering variety…
4544332
"Prince Rutherford never ask for pink honorary-yak hoof in marriage!"
"I accept your no-proposal! You may kiss the bride!"
"Pink Rutherford really understand yaks!"
<insert clopfic here>
4631556 That wedding would involve smashing soooo many glasses...
Doesn't strictly answer the question, but between those and Griffonstone's tree I feel that it can be safely assumed that supersized trees are a thing in Equestria's world.