Let's Talk About Pinkie Pie: I'm Feeling Contemplative · 8:41pm Jan 11th, 2014
Pinkie Pie is one of those characters that is hard to agree on. I've come across some very different opinions on her, which surprised me, because I just never realized this before. Part of this involves her comedic and somewhat arbitrary nature. And I confess that I probably have trouble recognizing her flanderization, other than when she's only there for the pure purpose of humor and nothing else.
For that reason, I personally believe that Pinkie's comedy needs to be character-based. As a fan of the old cartoon shorts and a number of other things, I find that personality-driven jokes are the best. They resonate because of our sympathy for the character and the world that they live in. Comedy itself is composed of the absurd truths, abrupt surprises, and prominent misconceptions that make up life as we know it. This varies somewhat, since slapstick is centered on sympathy and comeuppance, but on the whole that is what makes us laugh, whether it's a sight gag or a bit of clever observation.
Laughing and crying are roughly the same physiological impulse. Without the sounds to accompany them, they can look the same, and often times they interconnect. I know I've laughed so hard that I cried, I've also laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe, and then laughed so hard that it hurt. These were rare moments, but genuine ones. I've also laughed in embarrassment and horror. I do believe Pinkie's view of fright is reasonable in this light. Not even so much as a reflex to protect oneself, but that is sometimes the reaction, and it really can be a protection as well as a detriment, depending. Pinkie is good at recognizing a genuine threat for what it is and she does take those seriously, but she never takes anything too seriously. She can't. Life is just too strange for that. This is also why she smiles at weird moments (and there are too many of those to count.)
Pinkie isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. She has her failings, but she has trouble accepting them to some extent. She becomes angry when betrayed or hurt in some fashion, as was evidenced in both A Party of One and MMMystery of the Friendship Express. She overreacts, misconstrues things, and generally makes assumptions about the world around her. Sometimes she does this intentionally. She wants to make everything more fun than it actually is, so she willingly accepts a falsehood that correlates with this notion and substitutes it for reality.
This doesn't mean she can't see the truth. Her lies about the three bakers were completely intentional, because she didn't want anyone else to realize that she fell asleep on the job. Pinkie has an exceptional memory and only forgets things that she considers irrelevant or inconsequential. Her description of the cake being cut is telling; she refused to acknowledge the bite-marks, because that came too close to the truth: Pinkie wasn't greatly outmatched by those who wronged her, she simply failed through incompetence. She didn't forget; she simply refused to acknowledge it. Her failure wasn't funny in her eyes, and she didn't want anyone laughing at her for it.
Which brings us to why she wants others to laugh. Pinkie's greatest asset is her willingness to share her time and energy with others. This is because she gets most of her enjoyment from being around anyone that she cares about. She isn't one for deep analysis, as such (she is capable, but can't express herself on that level most of the time; hence her inability to explain to Discord what was wrong with his behavior, even though she probably understands him on an equal level with Fluttershy), but she abhors anti-social behavior of any nature. That isn't to say that she can't leave someone alone who wants to be alone. I fully believe that she can give Cranky some peace and quiet, beyond his time with Matilda, but she tends to be the most outgoing and she makes the mistaken assumption that others will benefit from this as much as she does.
I think Pinkie would have a serious mental breakdown if she was forced to be alone for a long time. If she were turned to stone for any great length of time, a little piece of her would die inside and there might never be a way to repair the damage done. Being shunned would also horrify and damage her, so she can't stand the idea at all, hence her reaction in Party of One, the Return of Harmony, and Griffon the Brush Off. If she were cast out of pony society, she might persevere, but only if she could find somewhere else to belong instead, such as with the zebras, griffons, or dragons. Pinkie is probably conscientious about her actions, because she learned early on that being cruel or thoughtless would make others avoid her. She requires a lot of attention and affection in her life, which is why she wants as many friends as possible. Who ever she's closest to are the most important people in the world to her.
Pinkie Pie spreads her love around a lot, so getting her to fall in love is both difficult and easy. She would have to have an attraction to see any point in the distinction, since she is already incredibly loving. The show naturally avoids most truly lustful notions, because of it's young audience, but also from the very real way in which romance tends to crowd out friendship. Not utterly, particularly in the case of mutual friends, but we all know that this would be somewhat of a death knell for the series, unless they managed to handle it extremely well. Even so, I think this sort of thing will be left for the absolute last seasons, if it is ever introduced. Our heroines are constantly growing and changing, but this is a dynamic that preludes true adulthood, and the girls are in a state somewhere in-between. They're not fillies anymore, and they have responsibilities on the level of a young adult. Their view of the world around them isn't quite that of a teenager, they have far more maturity on some issues than that, but in some respects they're still in that stage of childhood where politics, society, and the world at large aren't meant to be questioned. This is an aspect of the show itself, where the ponies tend to have most things already worked out, so this position may never disappear, but it puts them in a state of perpetual youth. On the whole, they do test some of the boundaries. Some may never give, but they are maturing in other ways, obviously.
I don't think Pinkie Pie would drive her love insane. They would have to already accept her strange predilections and notions when first faced with them, in order to like her at all. And she is not a perpetual motion machine or a motormouth, though she sometimes seems to have these qualities. Pinkie Pie speaks when she feels like she has something to say, regardless of how dumb it may be, but she doesn't talk to fill the silence. There are quiet moments with Pinkie, but they're not as memorable as the loud, bombastic ones. Pinkie isn't the element of loyalty, but I feel that she would be devoted and respectful towards anyone she fell in love with. There is the possibility for annoyance, but that's just life. Anyone who fell in love with her would love her for who she is. Whether or not they can keep up with her is another matter, and it's possible that Pinkie Pie may find herself disappointed down the line. I won't discuss any head canon regarding whether she's pansexual, asexual, or anything in-between, nor whether she is looking for serious monogamy, an open relationship, or anything in-between. This has plenty of bearing on the matter, but since it's all purely personal opinion, it's a matter of debate for a different discussion.
Pinkie Pie is perfectly intelligent. She would be insufferable if she wasn't. I'm sure some people would disagree with me in that respect, but I feel that's a case of bias alone. Perhaps I'm also biased though. My point is that Pinkie could never possibly make the friends that she has if she were dumb. No one would like her, because she would never understand what was going on around her, and she'd wear out her welcome, because talking to her would be a chore. Everyone would most assuredly be laughing at her, not with her.
I think Pinkie Pie is capable of laughing at herself, as much as anyone, but the presumption that she is a mockery does suggest stupidity and uselessness. That is why she can't accept such a reaction. She has an acceptable self-esteem and is bright enough to recognize the truth when she is presented with it. As we all do, she sometimes deludes herself when reality would suggest something that she doesn't want to face. Sometimes this is innocent enough and the only way she can protect herself. It took her so long to accept that her friends were avoiding her in Party of One, because she didn't want that to be the case. She was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, until she couldn't ignore the possibility any more.
Pinkie wants to be necessary and useful. She wants to make the world a better place and she does that by befriending everyone that she can, because she wants everyone to get along. Like most ponies, she won't tolerate what she considers unacceptable actions; perhaps the least tolerant, if this is clearly disruptive towards the social well-being of others. Pinkie wants to be friends with everyone, and she'd love to change the minds of those who are overly aggressive or malicious, but she's not good at it. Unfortunately for her, the methods she tends to employ are only relevant if the offender wants to be cooperative, and most of the time they do not. That's why, even before Gilda thought Pinkie was out to embarrass her at the party, it was unlikely that Gilda would come around. It's also part of why Pinkie's song and dance routine in Over a Barrel failed (other than it indeed being kind of meh.) Pinkie would not have been successful towards a number of other antagonists either, and I think she has come to realize that, but I'm not certain. It's possible for her to get better at this in the future, but until she realizes the flaws in her attempts, I don't think she will.
And, well, I think I've rambled enough. I'm not sure if most of this is accurate, but it is what I think so far. What are your thoughts? 
Yes.
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1707379 Nice! Is that in response to my massive wall of text or are you trying to refute my notion that Pinkie isn't a motormouth?
1707755 I thought it would be an appropriate response to both.
... It feels so good when you find the right picture.
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(Edit: Doh... forgot the blog posts don't show them automatically. So annoying!
1708166
... I don't get it. 
... Pinkie's face is funny.
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Here's the plan everypony.*puts beekeeper hat on Twilight* Twilight you put on one of those tight Bee keeper costumes... *allows Bee hive to defy gravity* ... *shoves pole in theit mouths* You two go catch a foal with this net. Now, an unrelated diagram. *pulls down diagram* I am so good at drawing.
1708267 LOL Wait, which episode is this from? I don't recognize it.
As for my own choice, I don't know. I was trying to go for Applejack being put on the spot about your image being the truth or not, and lying poorly about it not being true, and Pinkie derped when she realized it was a lie.
Sometimes being elaborate with no dialog doesn't help... but mostly I just thought the faces were funny together. (Uncomfortable Applejack facing Pinkie, you can't see Pinkie's face, then it zooms out to show why AJ is uncomfortable, and Pinkie is derping like wow.)
1708737 I believe it's from 'Spike at your Service'.
Okay... Do you always have to write so much..?
1708836
oh wow, you've delved in to this pink mare too?
I made a short blog on her resently.
I need to go ovr this.
1781942
Yup! I will have to read your post tomorrow then. Bed for now! (I stayed up way too late.)
But I love analyzing characters and discussing them, although Pinkie is one of the Main Six ponies with some of the most variable interpretations (from the show's writers and fans.) I'm always amazed to see how differently other people see the characters, because I never think of myself as having any strong head canons. The truth is we all see things somewhat differently, so it's inevitable that opinions don't always coincide.
Of course it's a lot of fun when I do find someone sees things the same way!
I just assume way too often that they will... and that's silly of me.
what if her need for laughter is a link to something deeper?
like the changling need for love?
whough she get genuinely depressed beyond reason, once she 'realise' none is with her, or laughting at/with her, it turns into an act on pair with an adicts?
To a point, thi is exactly why she needs the friends and the elements of Harmony,
they are all eared up towards diferent kinds of Antagonists and threats.
You really make a good in depth analysis, on the subject aspects you poked, from what I could see,
I wish you could make an analysis on my speculation/head-canon on her. if for nothing then hear your view on it, or how silly it is, if that's the case?
1781973 tomorrow is a good day, nothing have gone wrong.
she can take a few more attempts at Analyzing. (yeah, the Mane Six)
I hope you find my ideas as interesting and refreshing tomorrow, as yesterday. I like to 'think outside of the box' from a meare poni perspective for a joke?
I try to build my head *cannons' on firm grounds, even with some extrapolations in for etra spice.
I guess we could agree that Pinkie is an interesting and exciting young mare, then?
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I think that could be an interesting idea for a story, considering most of what we've seen her eat were desserts and not proper meals, but I think that's too speculative to be anything more than head canon.
Sort of. Pinkie is very outgoing and derives most of her enjoyment from being with others. Her hobbies tend to involve other ponies as well. Even the scrapbook is a way for her to connect with others. I would say that it could be viewed as an addiction in the same way that people who use the internet or constantly play video games are addicted to such things. In the short term, she gets upset and has minor withdrawal, though eventually it evens out as she finally stops pining and distracts herself with something else.
As long as she knows her friends will come back to her, I think this is what happens. Something in-between how she reacted in Wonderbolt Academy and how she reacted in Three's a Crowd. She was distracted a bit too fast there, where the writer was relying more on the humor than the characterization, but I think she also learned not to over-react as much, after Wonderbolt Academy. Also, Fluttershy might not have been gone as long as Rainbow Dash was during Wonderbolt Academy. That's how I rationalize it to myself.
However, Pinkie is very concerned with completely losing her closest friends for good. I think she's going to be devastated if she attends any of their funerals or if she was ever banished from Ponyville. She cares a lot about them. I honestly think that is Pinkie's greatest and perhaps only real fear, to lose the ponies that she loves the most.
Yep! They all have their different strengths and weaknesses.
I shall! Sorry, I just kept getting so many other posts to respond to, I got sidetracked... I need to stop responding to everything else.
1790670 but I think that's too speculative
- if it is the case, they would never let on, it would ruin the story in a single blow. there is another reason for her need for love, her deppreing foalhood.
1790670 Pinkie is very outgoing
- 'Party of One', just look at it. there is another episiode, but I can't recall the name.
- funny, I recall there is an 'old' pony with a similiar book. it could be compared with Face Book', or similiar?
Withdrawals, is like when Dash is at the acaddemy for a week.
- If banished, she'd either die on the spot, or dash off to the nearest community she could find a friend in.
1790670 strengths and weaknesses.
- in a sence, it is the strength of the story, having them filling up each gap, like this. maybe this is what created our community in the first place?
1790670 I got sidetracked
- At least, this blog is short. still, I managed to bring up an interestingline of reasoning, for anyone who is interested in the question.
1790922
I'm not certain if her foalhood was depressing. I really wish we could see more of her family in the show and if she's sending them letters. I expect that she is, but it's annoying that we see so much of Applejack's family and the show is so reluctant to do more with any other family! Especially since I'm certain that Pinkie's family is important to her.
I'm not sure she'd die, although she might want to. I think she'd sob for a long time. In the case of a dead friend, she'd be grieving with her other friends. If she was banished, then she would slowly make her way to the next community, but she'd really, really miss everyone a lot. I'm not certain when she would recover enough to make new friends. It would be the worst thing ever, so it would take her awhile to get over her sadness enough to start her life anew.
1790982 in this case, you msy diferentiate between her being depressed, and her foalhood being depressing.
the dammage isn't done before she saw the light (of the Rainboom of Dashes)
she may very well have that kind of contact with the family. they did their best to raise her, and as far as could be seen, they were never mean to her, in any way percievable?
she may make it to the next town, in which case there is a chance for her, if that option isn't open, I doubt she would make it.
she wouldn't have her home to hide in, or any of the convenience hidden within it.
Making friends is ecential to her, but so is the smiles and commedy. if she was greeted openly, it may save her.
Pinkie Pie has manic depression also known as bipolar disorder. In the stories i have written she suffered from a traumatic incident in her childhood a incident that pretty much changed her now she tries to forget that trauma by feigning blissful ignorance. because of this incident shes developed a fear of being alone. I forgot what its called but its a real phobia.
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I think that's a highly plausible head canon, given what we've been shown, though I'm not sure if we have hard proof that Pinkie is bipolar or has that specific phobia. In particular, I think the bi-polar condition tends to have longer lasting episodes than the ones that Pinkie has gone through. She most assuredly has been depressed/extremely sad on several different occasions, but most of them lasted for about a day or two. And she's definitely anxious about being alone, but she has been shown alone without panicking in a few instances. At the moment I don't remember if they combine well enough for us to have some canonical certainty about what would trigger it for her.
1839290 Thanks for the fave! And yes, LET'S talk about Pinkie.
I am really resistant to diagnosing characters with stuff, especially cartoon characters, but let's put it this way. Have you seen Ask Vaudeville? Here's what the cartoonist has to say about himself and Pinkie Pie. "We have the same mane style! And the same psychological disorder!" He's pretty straightforward about both the bipolar thing and the compulsive need to make 'em laugh. Also, bipolar episodes don't always work like that. They can go super-fast, "rapid cycling," and there's what's called a "mixed state," and it is a bitch. The problem, though, is that then it becomes, "that explains it." Pinkie Pie said something loud and inappropriate, but she must have Asperger's, that explains it. Well, that's her character all wrapped up! Who's next? Plus, it's all got to be subtext with her. She's not an unhappy pony. She is a pony who is trying like hell to be happy and succeeding about 95% of the time while taking everypony along with her, plus, cake! And she makes perfect sense, Q very much. She's like Luna Lovegood this way.
This is why I think creating Cheese Sandwich, who could have been a boring as mud celebrity cameo, was such a stroke of genius. He's got a lot in common with Pinkie, including some default defense mechanisms ("if I keep them laughing, it means they like me, so I just have to keep going more or less until I drop dead"), but they aren't the same at all. She's open, and he's closed; she's genuinely extroverted, and I'm sure he is not (he chills out by himself, and he is still shy); she's welcoming, and he's a tad suspicious. High contrast test: how would Cheese have dealt with Gilda? So to him, she's not at all weird. She's possibly one of the very few ponies who's ever made sense to him, because, duh. This is why I want to tinker around with them in a human-ish world so much.
Pinkie's ability to Laugh is weapons-grade for a reason. It's under-rated only slightly less than Kindness. I can't wait to get a glimpse of her family life. I have the feeling that she's underplayed the extent to which it was a rough road for her, but that doesn't mean her family doesn't love her or vice versa. She was just a bad fit on a rock farm. (Now watch me be so, so wrong!)
*Sigh.* Blah, blah, blah.
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I think you summed up the real reason I'm leery to say yes to this kind of idea. I myself have not been diagnosed, and can't say for sure that I have it, but I've felt some of the less rapid highs and lows of a bi-polar nature. I don't think it's illogical to write her this way, and if you both say it's possible for these symptoms to switch faster, then I guess I'm wrong about that. But I don't like it being an "excuse" because that can lead to less thoughtful and in-depth writing, IMHO. And I think that trying to insist it's canon does nothing to make people really think about the character as they are, if that makes any sense.
It only works if the writer is really utilizing it. I think just hinting at it is cool, so it's not as if the writer has to go all out in representing these traits, but simply mentioning it does nothing for a story, as you've pointed out.
I also really hate fanon presented as canon, so I tend to be less insistent on anything that isn't definite. I will accept anything that sounds good, because I'm not trying to stifle ideas or the intent to express oneself. I simply don't like empty statements. It drives me crazy, and it's the one reason that I really hate people saying "Oh, Discord is Starswirl."
No, he is whatever you think he is, but that statement is pointless unless you do something with it. It's enough to make me leery of the idea entirely, because people become so determined to be RIGHT about it that they ignore anything else. It's also why I hate the way most people handle shipping. I have no problem with OTPs, but unless you're backing one of the few marriages in the show, there's nothing but speculation to back you up, so don't get so high and mighty about your preferences.
Plus, when it comes to psychological diagnosis, there is a lot of overlap between certain conditions, so insisting on one thing could be ignoring another when both might have potential. I don't think that is necessarily the case here, but I'd rather leave room open for other potential thoughts and I really do think she is open to more interpretation than just that, although bipolar is certainly the most likely condition in my mind.
Yes. So much yes. This is also why I love Cheese Sandwich so much. I think the fact that we know Pinkie Pie actually proves a lot of his depth, but above all else, I agree with you. He isn't just a clone of Pinkie Pie and he never was. Nor is he just Weird Al in a pony suit. The writers went out of their way to make him a real character and he is hands down my favorite stallion the more I think about him. I've argued about this all before and I may actually create a blog post about it, because I think people dismiss him out of hand far too readily.
Cheese is amazing with Pinkie, but he's great with everyone, just like she is. Even better in some circumstances. He doesn't have her history, he doesn't have her first meeting with everyone, and he doesn't have her friends. Cheese is going to react pretty similarly to how she would in such circumstances, but he'll always be his own pony and that's why I love him.
Incidentally, I've been meaning to add some things to this blog post, or make another one and link to it, because ever since I wrote this, I've had other discussions about Pinkie. To be honest, I don't even know if I see her the same way as others do. I've had some interesting conversations about how some people think Pinkie should be, but I think that even if I don't always agree with them, we all love Pinkie because she's comic relief done right... with a real touch of sympathy behind her. (I think that's part of why people freaked out about her actions in Filli Vanilli. But that's a long discussion as well and I could ramble forever about Pinkie.)
I think her lack of consistency and also her general piecing together that can be done is what gives her so much potential. And that can be said for any of the characters honestly.
Indeed! Indeed. I was so disappointed when Pinkie Apple Pie didn't go there, but I'm now eagerly anticipating Maud Pie. Gives me butterflies actually.
Btw, I've been pondering Cheese's life and I've considered a few interesting options for his foalhood back in Manehattan. I know the most obvious idea is that he's an orphan, but that doesn't have to be the only option. It also says a lot about how ponies treat foals in Equestria. As in Pokemon, a lone wandering foal isn't cause for concern. Also, during his foalhood travels, I have this sweet idea that he was being cared for by the kindness of strangers up until he reached Ponyville (actually the reaction in Ponyville and his reaction to that makes me think this is likely; he was only surprised by the party, not their acceptance), but any time he couldn't find a town, he basically had to survive on his own, which is easier for ponies as long as it's not winter.
I think in his heart he's practically Mustangian, even though he was born in Manehattan.
1839290 "I know the most obvious idea is that he's an orphan." Ech. That's been so done. What is it with orphans in this fandom? Everypony can't be an orphan. The most likely characters to be orphans are the Apples, and that still hasn't been confirmed. Someone somewhere suggested it was more like "hey, where's our son? I don't remember having seen him for a couple of days." "Son? We have a son?" I suspect his parents would have been told as soon as anyone realized that there was an "extra" colt, which would take roughly no time, but basically, Equestria is not the kind of place where fillies and colts live in cardboard boxes, starving to death. Somepony notices it and does something about it, pronto.
I've got slightly different versions and backstories for Cheese and EG Cheese, but both of them have been inflected by the kinds of guys I knew in high school: middle class, giant nerds, smart but bored, all of whom had figured out that it was much easier to learn how to juggle or eat fire than actually to talk to girls, and most of whom wound up being character actors. That's the problem with "headcanon." If it lives only in your head, it's not canon, or not yet, isn't it? And it's restrictive for authors. Ideally, we're going to use our backgrounds and experiences and knowledge and run them under some characters where they fit and make sense, but not impose them on top.
I have a bunch of links to some essays I recently did on shipping, and the number of canon ships there are is really, really small. I'm also not really a shipper, but man, I ship CheesePie like DHL. I might mutter to myself "Cheese/Coco Pommel? Really?" but my job as a writer isn't to enforce my OTP. It's to seduce readers, so that they come out the other side thinking "ZOMG! They are perfect! That's my new OTP!"
And probably because I grew up in New Jersey, I know you can become really self-sufficient and self-contained. It's not THAT big of a deal just to stay on Metro North well into Connecticut, and you get used to getting around and figuring stuff out without asking questions. So the loner "I got it" stuff to me is proof that he is really is a city boy!
Oh, yes, do make another post. Lots of stuff has happened since January! And feel free to check out the shippy essays.
1901528
Oh, no, I agree with that. However, it's clear that Cheese managed to wander off entirely, so something happened. People choose "orphan" because it's the easy mode option. Then they don't have to create any parents or consider exactly what Cheese was dealing with before he left town. I agree that negligence is probably more likely, but orphan is still an option (even though it probably does get done to death.) I think that rather than returning him, other ponies would be more inclined to just make certain his needs are being met and offering him somewhere to stay without necessarily forcing him to go home.
It's the only thing that may also explain how he survived wandering around outside Manehattan. Being a city boy doesn't mean he knows what he's doing outside of the city, but the ponies aren't humans so even though they aren't shown grazing or living off the land, I think Cheese could do that. And although his magic is oriented towards fun, he's still an Earth Pony. That may manifest as finding what is best nutritionally or being able to grow it, though I can't see him doing any growing that's long term. More along the lines of coaxing something into dropping fruit before its ready. Even if one is trying to answer that after he found his way into Ponyville, it still requires some answers. It took awhile before he got his reputation and he may have been nervous about planning that first party. Pinkie planned one for her family. He would be planning it for strangers.
But that's what I love about Cheese. He brings up a lot of questions.
Whoo! You're preachin' to the choir here!
The only ships I view as definitively canon are Matilda/Cranky, Mr. Cake/Mrs. Cake, Shining Armor/Princess Cadance, and the parents of our beloved heroines. Everything else could be based on strongly suggestive material, but I don't view it as canon unless the characters are in a clearly defined relationship. I count Matilda and Cranky, because it's kind of unlikely that he'd search all over Equestria for her and be so unhappy without her otherwise. That's confirmed, in my mind. Plus, no one seems to give a crap if they're official or not. Everyone pretty much forgets they exist.
The show isn't big on romance, so everything else is speculation. Even stuff like Flash Sentry and Cheese Sandwich aren't really definite, although they might become definite in the future. I don't count Prince Blueblood or Trenderhoof because those were failed romances. (They could become legit romances, but canonically they've failed thus far.) Spike is a confirmed crush, but at the moment it isn't confirmed that it's reciprocal, so I don't consider it a canon pairing, even though it could become one.
However, my reasons for viewing things this way is because I feel that is simply being more realistic and it opens the door for everything. I also don't really have any thoughts on Cheese Sandwich/Coco Pommel (I think people chose her because she's cute and she lives in Manehattan), but it's possible. It requires the writer to create the relationship from scratch, because they haven't met in canon, but it's not as hard as most Sombra or Nightmare Moon ships that ever existed. Like you said, it's the writer's job to show the reader how enjoyable the pairing is.
Sneaky edit: Damn it... now I have it in my head that it would be so cute if Cheese was Coco's brother or cousin. The FEELS.
Oooh. I didn't know that. Fair enough! However, I do think it requires a little explanation outside of the city, but not much. It's likely that he can find what he needs overall. The hard part would be paying for stuff, but I'm sure some stuff he could find for free in the "wild" and as long as no one turns their back on him when he really needs it, then he'd do just fine. I'm becoming more certain that they look after little foals when they see them having trouble and no one bats an eyelash at this.
Honestly, I think that particular artist picked Coco because she already ships Pinkie with Bubble Berry, and finding another love interest for Cheese, whom she clearly likes, is the nicest possible way of getting rid of a possible other pairing. That's just an educated guess.
There are only a handful of canon known relationships. I'm pretty conservative about that. I don't think Trenderhoof or Prince Blueblood count, because nothing got off the ground with either. Flash Sentry, well--to me, he's kind of like that boring guy your first cousin has been dating and keeps bringing to family gatherings. He's a perfectly nice guy and he is very eager to please, but you completely fail to see the appeal. At some point, you realize that this guy is going to be a relative by marriage someday, and you might as well settle down and try to find something likable about him. In EG, it's a definite that there's a mutual romantic interest, and that's plenty. Not what I'd call a canon shipping, but a plausible and probably inevitable future one.
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Oh my. I didn't realize it was only one artist. And I assumed it was because they would look cute together (their colors certainly don't clash and Coco was adorable.) I've seen that happen a lot, but that sort of thing kills me. Has any one considered that maybe he doesn't even need a love interest? I think it probably is their attempt at being kind, but I think it's kinder if they view him as a real person instead of an obstacle. I hate this kind of rationalization, especially when it's not even a concrete pairing. And even if he does love her, maybe he's not ready for a relationship? Maybe he's just a huge fan of Pinkie? Maybe he's in love with his job? Maybe he's any other reasons people don't consider. Or you know, just be hardcore and actually break the guy's heart. He'll live.
I hate this kind of reaction from people, but I'm probably just way too jaded from all the fandoms I've been in...
But also, isn't Bubble Berry just the Rule 63 version of Pinkie? I like selfcest but that strikes me as double-hilarious. Cheese Sandwich is better than a stallion version of Pinkie.
That reminds me, I'd love to see him just being pals (or more, whatever floats the boat) with Rule 63 version of Pinkie. I just kind of wonder how it'd turn out on an adorkable level. Not because Pinkie would be super different, she wouldn't, but because I think Cheese would be happy having some guys to pal around with. We all wants friends of our own gender from time to time. There's a small divide, regardless of how consequential it is. As much as he loves Pinkie now, I'm pretty sure he'd be the same way towards a male version of her. He'd just have a Bro Crush that may or may not be platonic.
I think you summed it up nicely. I feel kind of bad for Twilight Sparkle, but it would be hard to find a guy who's as interesting as she is. And really, who are we to judge until we get to know Flash Sentry better? My biggest complaint is just that we barely know him. Twilight barely knew him as well, so my current assumption is that she's attracted to him and they may have some inherent chemistry that she can sense, but so far none of us know what that is. In the real world it's forgivable, but in literature it's a failure. I recognize that the writers for the movie probably had pacing and other concerns to think about, but it's still frustrating. I don't want to hate Flash Sentry, but at the moment I don't care either way, and that's actually worse IMHO.
Then again, that just means we can fanon that boy up like crazy to our hearts' content, but that's hard to do when there isn't a whole lot to inspire us.
1905278 It's the fandom version of Kiss, Marry, Cliff, or the slightly less polite version. If you really like Ron, but you are sure Harry and Hermione belong together, you have him fall in love with a character you like, say, Luna Lovegood. If you feel "meh," about Ron, you give him Hannah Abbott. If you hate him, you give him a tragic death. If you really, really, really hate Ron, you make him an alcoholic wife beater and THEN give him a truly ugly death. Doesn't matter, really, because Harry and Hermione TL4F. All this could be avoided, folks, if you just accepted that your ship was fanon and that there's nothing wrong with that!
"Or you know, just be hardcore and actually break the guy's heart. He'll live." I could never break Cheese's heart! Poor Cheese!
"But also, isn't Bubble Berry just the Rule 63 version of Pinkie? I like selfcest but that strikes me as double-hilarious. Cheese Sandwich is better than a stallion version of Pinkie." This a zillion times, and kind of ironic, considering that some people do think of him as a palette swap of Bubble Berry.
"I think Cheese would be happy having some guys to pal around with. We all wants friends of our own gender from time to time. There's a small divide, regardless of how consequential it is." Funny you should mention this!
"Then again, that just means we can fanon that boy up like crazy to our hearts' content, but that's hard to do when there isn't a whole lot to inspire us." Funny you should mention this! But for now, Flash Sentry, Bulk Biceps, Trenderhoof, and Cheese Sandwich getting drunk:
"So, listen listen listen. Stop me if you've heard this one. So, four stallions and a rubber chicken walk into a bar. . ."
"Oh, please, who brings a rubber chicken into a bar? That's so tacky."
"Those are fighting words! Right, Boneless?"
"So . . . I'm confused. Lemme go back to the four stallions bit again. I mean, didn't they see the bar first? Did it hurt or what? Nemmine. So, I wrote this song about this mare. It's, like, all true 'n stuff and like how they're fated beyond worlds n'everythin. Imma sing it all, 'kay?"
"Yyyyyyyeah . . . ."
And this, ladies and germs, is why Cheese Sandwich would prefers hanging out with mares, and also why he would not be caught dead at a party Trenderhoof is writing about.
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Yeah, it's a super common trope in literature overall and it happens in every fandom. I think it's also an offshoot of writers who can't comprehend less dramatic break-ups though, or who can't comprehend someone having time to get over the relationship or just not wanting to be in another one for awhile. Yes, people do meet new partners pretty quickly sometimes, but as you said, it's mostly a calculated way of shoving someone onto a bus. For the most part, they don't care enough anyway to approach it differently.
I could. I love Cheese and I sympathize with him and to hell with Bubble Berry. This break-up is going to be all about Cheese dealing with a broken heart and how he finds joy in life anyway, not Bubble Berry getting his selfcest on.
Definitely ironic. Although, now I'm pondering what would happen if there was a ménage à trois/some polyandry going on there. Bwahahaha. All the loving attention any of them would ever need. I can see tons of cuddling at any rate. Cheese might not survive it though... all those welcome home parties and needy lovin' might inadvertently kill him.
I like the way you think.
Although out of those, I think Cheese would only maybe hang out with Bulk Biceps, since Bulk is super enthusiastic and strikes me as being up for almost anything when it comes to being with friends. Trenderhoof and Flash might get on Cheese's nerves (Trenderhoof is not terrible but he's such a hipster and Flash is the kind of mundane that I think would send Cheese running to find better company, unless he was already friends with the guy for a long time.)
I could see Trenderhoof annoying the shit out of Cheese when Trenderhoof suddenly takes an interest in the other side of party planning. Man, the more I think about it, the more Cheese and Trenderhoof make perfect frenemies. Like, not actual rivals or foes, but grudging respect and gritted teeth. They get along when they have goals aligned, but it doesn't happen often. I can't really see them hating each other, I don't think they overlap enough for that (I see Cheese being bitter enemies with who ever plans the royal events most of the time) but I am pretty certain that trying to make them get along would be horrible and create like a thousand interesting stories.
But more importantly, I'm now imagining Flash Sentry asking Cheese Sandwich for "how to ask mares out" advice... ahahahaha. It'd probably make more sense the other way around, but it's more hilarious if they're both absolutely clueless.
Actual friendship? I don't think Cheese is necessarily drawn to hanging out with mares (other than the obvious reasons.) There just aren't a lot of guys who wouldn't annoy him or drive him away, off the top of my head? Of what little I remember of most of the background stallions anyway. The ones that we know a little bit about. But maybe that's assuming too much.
I'm pretty sure he'd be great friends with Braeburn... who strikes me as very enthusiastic and kind of bizarre. Admittedly that only comes from Over a Barrel, since Braeburn's subsequent appearances haven't shown much, and maybe he was just really happy to see Applejack, but I get the feeling he's just super friendly and cheerful and fairly open-minded (he was willing to work with Little Strongheart before AJ and Dash drew out the conflict awhile longer.) Yet Braeburn is more down to earth than Cheese is. It's got potential, IMHO.
I think Cheese would get along fine with Spike, although poor Spike tends to get screwed over in most of the story-telling canonically. And I could see Cheese potentially hanging out with Big Mac, but I think that would only be tolerable for both of them in small doses. Fancy Pants would probably get along with Cheese as well. Beyond that, there's probably plenty of guys Cheese would be fine hanging out with, we just don't know most of them too well.
But the mares are awesome so I don't begrudge him that.