Sunset Shimmer and ToonKriticY2K · 5:49am Mar 6th, 2018
I'm expecting backlash for this post. Please read until the end before commenting.
I was not involved with the whole ToonKritic situation. I learned about it in late January when the brony analyst friends were responding to the misinformation and accusations as a result of leaked information before anyone was ready to make public statements. At first, I didn’t want to believe it, but seeing Josh Scorcher’s tumblr posts convinced me that, yes, he was guilty of these things.
How do we, who knew nothing of the situation while it was happening and who looked up to him, respond to such a bombshell? Many bronies have made statements, and I have no real reason to do the same. I looked up to him for his charity work and how he was always a light-hearted presence in projects and real life, and I enjoyed his storytelling with the Cartoonz personality, which placed him as one of my favorite brony reviewers.
DRWolf made a statement about forgiveness which had a mixed response. For those who understood the Christian definition, it was a message of hope and a reminder that forgiving Toon meant that his actions weren’t going to weigh heavily on our souls, and responded positively. For those who did not understand the Christian definition, it was a message to move forward as if nothing had happened, and they responded negatively. To be clear: DRWolf did not clarify what he meant, and clarification came later in one of Josh’s videos.
Spoilers for the recent Equestria Girls special “Forgotten Friendship” ahead.
When Princess Celestia tells Twilight and her friends about Sunset Shimmer’s descent in Equestria Girls that led to her stealing the crown, Princess Celestia makes some interesting statements. “I tried to help her” as she looks up with a saddened expression on her face. “I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would someday use [the mirror] to return back to Equestria seeking my guidance,” spoken with a hint of anger, but mostly out of sadness. She even still has her eyes closed as Cadance explains the importance of bringing back the Element of Magic. When Twilight returns, Celestia’s very first response is to ask whether Sunset Shimmer was all right. Even back then we knew that Celestia still cared for Sunset and harbored no hard feelings for her despite her betrayal. Since then we’ve had a few incidents involving Sunset returning to Equestria. In a deleted scene from Friendship Games, Sunset is debating whether or not she should return to Equestria. In the episode “Mirror Magic” Sunset actually does go back to Equestria, but only for a few minutes. In “Forgotten Friendship” Sunset finally meets back up with Princess Celestia. Princess Twilight kind of forces Sunset to face Celestia, but not really. We’ve seen how headstrong Sunset is, and would not have gone if she decided she didn’t want to. Look at Sunset’s response:
“Princess Celestia, the last time we saw each other I was your snide little pupil who betrayed and abandoned you... I come before you a changed pony, humbly asking for forgiveness, guidance, and knowledge.”
Princess Celestia had already forgiven her before Equestria Girls. Now Sunset has used the mirror to return to Equestria seeking her guidance, just as Princess Celestia had hoped since the day she left. As such, she is more than willing to provide the knowledge Sunset requested. Celestia decided, due to the hard feelings Sunset had when she left, that it would be wiser to let Sunset come to her when she was ready instead of forcing her to come when she wasn’t. My mother and I are both very stubborn and both want things done quickly, and in my experience this is a hard lesson for people like us to learn because it takes patience and the ability to let go of things that are out of our control.
That’s the kind of forgiveness we need to give Toon. We can’t forget what he’s done, but we can’t ignore the good things he’s done either. Many bronies’ statements have talked about how Toon manipulated people into viewing him as a victim, and I for one am inclined to believe that Toon didn’t realize he was as manipulative as others saw. I first met Toon at Ponyville Ciderfest 2017, and received one of Cartoonz's buttons during his "Ow the Edge" panel. That button had a tendency to fall off, and one time it fell off in my car. I put it in the center console, thinking little of it. It wasn't long before I learned what happened with Toon, and I decided not to put the button back on. The button has been in my center console since. I believe it would be very hypocritical of me, who adores Sunset Shimmer's character, redemption, and conflicts so much, to hold Toon to a higher standard and fault him for the same hubris that once plagued Sunset Shimmer.
Just like Sunset Shimmer realized she was doing the wrong thing and only came back to Celestia when she was ready, we need to be patient and wait for Toon to repent in a similar fashion. Like with Sunset, it may take several years, and we can’t force him to change. From what I understand, those who were close to Toon have cut off all personal and professional contact, and Toon’s social media has been shut down. All anyone can do now is wait and pray that he has a change of heart and asks for forgiveness and guidance
