Proof of Change · 6:45pm Nov 24th, 2019
I've been doing some other stuff, it's true, but I can still make time to write these things when I feel like it.
So let's talk about issue #84 before I try to take things too far.
Today's moral is of course that ambition is an admirable quality, but it's also important to know your limits. They say to reach for the stars, but if you forget that they're light-years away and expect to catch them then you're just doomed to failure. Some things are just too much. (Such as trying to dance while changing shape every two seconds for ten minutes straight. At least if you're trying to choreograph and rehearse the whole thing in two weeks despite not having any prior experience in interpretive dance choreography or performance; I'm thinking more like months with experienced professionals.)
I'd like to also say that the moral is that you only need to represent yourself (unless you are intentionally, officially, and explicitly acting as a representative of a group). But that's not really true, is it. The Student Six other than Sandbar are unofficial ambassadors for their species. (Do you think Sandbar would be less laid-back if he knew that all of ponykind would be judged by his actions?) Even the Feats of Friendship comics touched on this fact. The Student Six never chose this responsibility, and they have no official status as representatives, but ponies have come from all over Equestria to attend the School of Friendship and will take their first impressions of other species from the Student Six.
And we should all know this. When you're the only member of a group around that does force you to represent that group whether you want to or not, and surely almost all of us have at some point found ourselves so representing bronies (or pegasisters, if you prefer, though I can't say I'm fond of having separate-but-hopefully-equal terms) if nothing else.
I was surprised to see Ocellus start her interpretive dance with Queen Chrysalis, given her expressed feelings about proving that changelings can use their powers for good. If you think you have anything to prove as a changeling, anything to prove about changelings, the last thing you want to do is to be the one to bring up Chrysalis. If there are those who might doubt you you're certainly not going to stop them from doing so by reminding them of the changelings' sordid past and the fact that you could even be Chrysalis in disguise. (Sure, it's hard to imagine her putting aside her pride enough to impersonate a reformed changeling, but anycreature who wouldn't just brush that logic aside wouldn't be so wildly suspicious in the first place.)
Which is not of course to say that I don't like her interpretive dance. It was a good choice to tell her own story of the events that brought her to the School of Friendship. Though it does once again make one wonder whether Ocellus was there in the throne room when Thorax changed, or whether she just heard about it after the fact. We don't see her after the explosion, but I don't think we saw all the changelings who were there by any means.
I am a bit disappointed in Heather Breckel that Yona's friendship bracelets are monochrome. She specifically refers to them being in multiple colors, but they're not.
Twilight should have thought about what she herself would feel about being assigned this project instead of a midterm before pronouncing this plan to be less stressful. That's not the only criterion of course, but she should have known that some creatures would find a big test easier than a completely open-ended project. She would. Ocellus would. I would. Knowing things is easy; creating things is not.
FIMFICTION BLOG OF FRIENDSHIP RULES!
(commence applause)
I thought this was a great issue overall. Feels like it really strengthens the friendship of Ocellus and Silverstream, who is apparently her roommate.
My favorite scene of course, is Gallus doing an homage to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures by going for the guaranteed-applause move of shouting "San Dimas High Rules!"