• Member Since 26th Jul, 2012
  • offline last seen Jun 2nd, 2016

Showmare Trixie


"If I desire to possess everything, does that not make everything mine by right?"

More Blog Posts311

  • 408 weeks
    Beginnings and Endings.

    Hello. I still, inexplicably, get attention here. Not sure why. I don't go on Fimfiction, or write ponyfics anymore--I do however, write original fiction, yay!--or really do anything pony related. Don't consider myself a brony, though ponies are always cute, and stuff.

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  • 468 weeks
    Contact.

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  • 526 weeks
    Important-ish notice: Account closing down.

    I won't go into the details. But this account is essentially going to become abandoned after today.

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  • 526 weeks
    Youtube, why!

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  • 526 weeks
    Character analysis blog: Trixie [canon].

    Not being written at 6AM, but I am tired, hungry, upset, and unmedicated. So it's close enough to my usual conditions for analysis blogs.

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    8 comments · 918 views
Feb
21st
2014

Character analysis blog: Trixie [canon]. · 3:11am Feb 21st, 2014

Not being written at 6AM, but I am tired, hungry, upset, and unmedicated. So it's close enough to my usual conditions for analysis blogs.

Now let's start this Trixie blog by talking about characters that aren't Trixie, and continue to do that for half the analysis! Because the most relevant point, is one that needs an analysis all of its own... How entertainment works in Equestria. In Pinkie Pride, we get to see two 'party ponies' compete for the title of the best after Pinkie feels like her position is being compromised. What's interesting here is the idea that there's something to be lost at all. And at what point, did she feel threatened?

It wasn't when he announced his profession, or when they got into the idea of doing something together. No, she felt threatened when he won over the crowd with his personality... Or, more precisely, his party face. His larger than life attitude only started, and, effectively, ended, when he was setting up, and doing party-related things. The rest of the time, he was more reserved.

Twilight Sparkle: All right, everypony. According to my official goof off rulebook...
Rainbow Dash: She actually has a goof off rulebook?
Spike: Are you kidding? Twilight can find a rulebook for everything!

Now, you can probably see where this is going, but there's more that needs to be brought to attention. When Cheese Sandwhich pointed out when and how he got his cutie-mark, he didn't especially focus on most of the the aspects of the party itself.

Rather, what did it for him, was the hostess, Pinkie Pie.

And really, when the rest of the cast go to a Pinkie Pie party, there's always the point of everything being based around the hostess. It's Pinkie's attitude that's the central thing putting everypony into the required mood. The ability to work a crowd is effectively what makes a party work.

On a different level, we can see this in music. When a pony gets a good song going, everyone tends to get involved.

... Unless of course, the song just doesn't work for the audience. Cranky, for example, was rather immune to any mood changes from singing, except, possibly, annoyance.

Make that, definitely annoyance. Now, this made a point of an entertainers ability to fail. Which Pinkie did a few times. One really good example is Party of One. If a ponies ability to entertain is dependent on their ability to work the crowd, then obviously, their ability to design a good party, and make ponies want to take part will fall apart if they lack that attitude. Even if the pony knows of their prior reputation. But of course, Pinkie never threw a party for anyone in Party of One. Except, of course, for herself.

"Alrighty, what do you say we get out of creepytown and head over to Applejack's" --Rainbow Dash, Party of One.

Her ability to effectively entertain, to make a decent party dissapeared along with her cheerfulness. Instead she was just rather... unnerving.

In fact, consider every pony attempting to entertain in some way, or for whatever reason that's appeared in the show.

Each one of these entertainers share a tendency to act larger than life. They are loud, in your face, and showy. However, each one has their own gimmick they use. Whether it's Pinkie's bubbly cheerfulness, or Flim & Flam's sing-along, or Iron Will's aggressive confidence.

Or Applejack's casual assertion in how fun everything is. After all, did she not act rather... off during the Apple Family reunion when she attempted to entertain the family? Loud and showy, seemingly oblivious to those around her as they suffered under her poor entertainment skills.

What this shows, is that every entertainer requires an on-stage persona to operate. To work their intended audience. Or everything falls apart. And speaking about parties that fall apart, why don't we consider the Gala.

The main cast all had a poor time there. Their idea of the party, and the actual thing was drastically different. They expected a certain style, and didn't receive it. At which point, they rather massively made a mess of things for everyone but Celestia. Because ponies aren't very versatile with entertainment or tradition.

Every pony has a gimmick, or in the case of the Apples and Gala, an intended style. Ponies who don't immediately 'get' the style of the party, or aren't won over by the host won't just have a 'moderate' amount of fun instead of a large amount. They'll have none at all.

With the case of the Gala and Apple Family Reunion, there is no host, because the entire party is about the group of people inside of it. Mingling with other high society ponies, or family members that don't often get to meet, respectively. Otherwise, a strong host is needed or everything falls apart, regardless of the quality of the entertainment. Because the crowds in Equestria are excessively difficult to please unless you know exactly what they want.

Now, let's start to talk about Trixie. Her gimmick is superiority, Trixie can do anything, and she can do it better than anyone else! And not only that, but she makes it look better to boot! That of course, is just her stage gimmick. After all, she appeared in four different episodes. Yes, four. It's often overlooked that she appeared briefly as a background pony in two episodes between Boast Busters and Magic Duel. Because she wasn't on the job, so to speak. But of course, even within the context of Boast Busters, when she got off that stage. What was Trixie like? She usually wasn't wearing her cape and hat. Her signature third person speech was something that popped up occasionally rather than constantly. Moreover, she was considerably more quiet, fairly anti-social, and surprisingly, more subtle. Or at least, less likely to outwardly voice her opinions.

Or at least, the writers, interested in keeping their jobs, didn't have Trixie say exactly what she was thinking at this moment.

While she was able to work the crowd in Ponyville with her gimmick, the main cast wasn't interested for the most part. It didn't work for them. So, they did what they'd do in the Gala, and any other party or social outing that any of them didn't immediately love... and caused trouble, or made no effort to try getting involved. Almost instantly, Trixie jumped on them with witty insults and puns galore. Then challenged them to prove her superiority, only to not win her own contests... but nopony seemed to notice, as the crowd was enjoying the show, and Trixie seemed to almost expect the main cast to cause trouble. Due to how quickly and easily she handled things, it almost seemed like the act was intended to get the crowd involved, to tease them as part of her gimmick. Regardless of the awareness of the main cast, the crowd loved it, as did Trixie.

Because that's her act. It's her entire gimmick that is the basis of her career. But of course, a pair of young colts, Snips and Snails, ended up taking her stories literally and ended up bringing up an Ursa Minor for her to defeat.
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Outside of her initial surprise, and of course, demanding to be left alone. She made some basic attempts at defeating the ursa minor with simple tricks. Her overall attitude however, at that point, and afterwords when she blended in with the crowd as Twilight made her little speech, did show a much less confident Trixie.

Not just because of the Ursa Minor, but her own issues with self-esteem. She stated she made up the story to make herself look better. While this could be considered egotistical if we base her off of her stage-persona, off-stage, she's already shown she's not especially self-absorbed... or at least, less in the way of say, Rainbow Dash, and more akin to Fluttershy. Heavily worried about her image, about how she's perceived, how much she's liked.
If we recall the end of the episode, she wasn't so much as driven out of town, so much as she ran away.

Pinkie Pie is probably in her stage-persona the most frequently, because she's addicted to performance. As she said herself--and as shown in my analysis blog for her--but it does bring up a point. Everyone has a reason for it. For Flim & Flam, it sold a product, for Iron Will, it got him the attention he needed at his seminars. For Pinkie, it supplies her with happiness. For Applejack, an attempt at getting the family closer together.

So, what is it for Trixie? Based on the way she shifted back into her stage-persona after being embarrassed in Boast Busters. She likely has confidence problems, and projecting herself as superior in her stage-persona assists with her problems. In much the same way that Fluttershy deals with her shyness by constantly having that problem handled slightly differently by a different writer each season. Except, more successfully. Too meta? To bad. Trixeffable's blog, Trixeffable's rules.

Now, as Trixie pointed out in season Three's Magic Duel, the events of Boast Busters completely ruined her career. She lost her home to the Ursa Minor, and any attempt at making a professional comeback was ruined because the entire gimmick she used to operate was destroyed by having a tarnished reputation.

The events of Magic Duel themselves are mostly irreverent, for the primary reason that it was stated the amulet changed how she thinks. What matters of course, is her determination. As she said herself, she worked in a rock farm. She did work she found degrading, and she did it for a long, long time. After all, almost two years had passed, and that massive bag of bits had to of come from somewhere.

The entire thing wouldn't be about revenge, though that would certainly play a part. No, it's the fact she can't play her role as an entertainer as long as someone has publicly beaten her at something. This is aided by her behavior at the end of the episode, where she said she felt bad so she helped Twilight from the shadows. If she, herself, out of the grip of the amulet, was already consumed with vengeance, she wouldn't help Twilight just because the amulet was taken off. It's not like she was hit with the elements to be made benevolent.

There, rather remains, the root of her desires was to do what she loves. To entertain as a showmare. To that end, because of how much she wants her destiny, she worked in a degrading--for Trixie--rock farm for two years. And really, in context, that determination to get herself a strong public image that's oh so very essential to entertain in Equestria, is rather admirable. She threw it those bits away, not because she was wanting to be a tyrant, but because she lost to Ponyville as a whole, Snips, Snails, and Twilight Sparkle. Ponyville ruined her image by spreading the news. Twilight publicly showed her up, Snips and Snails were the ones who let it happen. And ultimately, she applied her attention to each cause of her professional downfall separately.

Ultimately however, after living out a rather dark depiction of what her gimmick amounts to, she seemed somewhat more willing to accept her situation. After all, her gimmick, her persona, was about confidence in herself, about being able to be respected by those around her. And, quite possibly, because she wanted to be liked as an individual. Even if she wasn't especially keen on being social outside of her performance. She forgave Twilight effectively. Though, her 'off-stage' self, still seems rather awkward about being in embarrassing situations--hence running off again--she seems to of instead, found herself a new gimmick. Her ability to manipulate and so small spells in the background, the ability to seamlessly assist another without the crowd noticing.

It would imply, I think, and hope. That Trixie is starting to get comfortable with herself, and the Alicorn Amulet helped her see that being on top isn't as fun as she previously thought. As such, without needing to work a crowd, she found a way to more subtly entertain. Which, with her original wit, seems much more fitting for her.

But of course, more than the ending scene, we also have the 'doorstop' trick.

When Trixie initially lost the amulet, she was still intend on domination, at least... for a short period.


Pictured: Not the face of mercy.

However, Twilight showed Trixie something. Not just using magic, but mundane deception to do things that no level of raw magical power can do.

Along with a degree of soft friendship.


You know Sparkle, this gives me an idea...

Which, I think, may of unwittingly led Trixie to her new outlook on life that gets implied in the ending. Despite just the slightest tendency to slip back into her stage persona when she's embarrassed. Not that I'm complaining, since it's adorable.

"Oh, good. Don't you think the Great and Apologetic Trixie is the most magnificent humble pony you have ever seen?"

D'aaaw.

In any case, that's my Trixie analysis, a somewhat conflicted and greatly misunderstood pony that's probably much easier to get along with than people give her credit for. In closing have a pair of screenshots from my favorite scene in the show. Namely, Trixie acting insulted that Twilight would accuse her of cheating.

Oh, Trixie. You're so adorable~. :heart:





Now who to analyze next. :trixieshiftleft:

Report Showmare Trixie · 918 views ·
Comments ( 8 )

Yay for spelling, grammar, and code issues.

Whatever, I'll fix those later. :facehoof:

Edit: My computer was having some issues with the preview, so I didn't get to proofread anything without posting. :unsuresweetie:

I don't have a lot to say, other than

:yay: Another character analysis blog!

You have no idea how useful these are.

1858359

I don't think anyone has ever put them to constructive use and told me about it, so. :rainbowderp:

Not really sure if I'm going to bother with another.

1858439
I reference these blogs occasionally when I'm having trouble with characterization for certain ponies while editing for others. These blogs show, effectively and concisely, personality traits writers should keep in mind (though the Fluttershy being the "evil overlord" is much more difficult to apply to the genre of stories I edit).

I've linked these as well when I do need to use them. It's usually, "I don't think you give Fluttershy enough credit, see this analysis about her." To echo Space Commie, these are very useful. I put part of the blame of disinterest on EqD for parading her around for almost two years and the season currently being on-going, with authors being busy working with newer characters and so-on.

Here's a thanks you deserve!
~Cosmic

1858953

though the Fluttershy being the evil overlord

I'm fairly certain I pointed out Fluttershy is somewhat of a Chessmaster when she wants to be. The antagonist thing was an afterthought, not the point.

1858957
Heh, I apologize, I meant to come off a tad more sarcastic with the overlord line.

1858439

I used your Fluttershy analysis blog to some effect in Through A Glass Darkly.

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