In Which I Apply Existentialist Philosophy to a Girl's Cartoon and Discuss Why "Flutter On" is a Terrible Idea (Also, Merry Christmas) · 2:58pm Dec 25th, 2012
Well, this is a strange and new power I have. People... following me. Watching my every move. Listening. Waiting to see what I do or say.
... Nifty.
Anyway, to get on with the main subject of today's little rant, let begin by saying: Hello Internet, My name is Nyronus and I Am A Discord Fanboy (kind of).
I find him to be such a... well realized villain, and a good, solid one all around. He was subtle, sadistic, funny, and taps into a lot of concepts of fey spirits and gods I find intriguing. I've been giddy with glee about the prospect of his Return... and I finally received news of it this morning. On Christmas. That my dreams would come true.
I feel this is kind of a hilariously bad idea.
Discord is the Spirit of... well, Discord. He isn't a god of zaniness or being whacky that some people think he is, but is instead the incarnation of conflict and strife. I figured him humiliating Pinkie Pie and driving her insane while cackling with glee would have driven the distinction home, but, guess not.
Discord turns people against each other, against the world, and against themselves. Just because he had a subtle G-rated presentation doesn't make his actions any less horrifying or evil. He uses the virtues of the Mane 6 to invert them, turning the petty and cruel. He breaks Twilight's spirit and then does a goddamn victory dance over it. Even turning the world into a relatively benign Loony-Toons world would, realistically, would leave people horrified and confused. Not to get all I-have-a-minor-in-philosophy, but Albert Camus argued even the subtle human inability to understand the NORMAL world can and will drive a man to suicide with great haste. I disagree for a lot of reasons, but he was on to something. Imagine trying to live in a world where you won't know if your house will be there when you wake up in the morning, where forces randomly seize you and start making you behave like an animal for the cackling amusement of an omnipotent schoolyard bully. Where the food in front of you can randomly turn into cotton candy. Or popcorn. Or snakes. Where you could never know if it was going to be noon or midnight ten minutes from now. Nothing could be done. You could never plan for anything. You would be helpless and at the mercy of whatever whim struck Discord. No future. No present. No control. Nothing you can do to escape. Your entire existence reduced to the mercy or forgetfulness of a mad god.
Not to get I've-studied-a-fair-bit-of-Lovecraft, but his entire premise is that the unknowable is the greatest kind of fear. And it is. Nothing creates more dread than a state of epistemological impotence, particularly in the face of a crisis. This time I'm actually speaking from experience. Helplessness is fear. Its the same reason people complain about competent horror protagonists. A vaguely cartoony unknowable malevolent reality can be just as unnerving and destructive and a tentacle covered horror one.
Everything he does is centered around causing pain and suffering. He. Is. Discord. He's Emperor Joker/Nyrlathotep for 6 year old girls for Christ's sake! Reforming him, at least in 22 minutes... would make no sense.
Unless the Aesop turns out to be “People can be jerks, even if they're just confused and angry, but you're not a bad person if other people refuse to let you help them become better.”
Which would be amazing and is probably something people need to hear from time to time.
And hey, if it gets feathered up, its always fodder for A Discord and Fluttershy's Completely Average Day.
Anyway folks, Merry Christmas!
Trying to redeem Discord... that doesn't seem like it's gonna go very well. Here's hoping they go with the moral "Not everyone wants to be friends, and sometimes there's nothing you can do to change their mind," or something along those lines.
Yeah this episode is either going to be amazing or terrible depending on where they take it.
Happy hot Christmas dickings Nyronus!
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Damn you Metalman. Must you bring dickings into everything?!
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Yes! You know why!!!!