//------------------------------//
// Kintsugi 
// Story: Remedial Applied Essay 
// by DerpyStarlet 
//------------------------------//


Kintsugi
By: Rarity who attended a public school in Ponyville


Neighpon is an interesting place with an even more intriguing culture. Being a very culturally open-minded pony, I love to look at cultures from all over the world for inspiration. Fashion is usually my focus, but you can find inspiration from unlikely places. Possibly the most influential Neighponese influence in my life is the curious practice of Kintsugi, a practice that not only gave me inspiration, but also a life lesson.
I’m sure many ponies are familiar with drowning themselves in work to get through sadness. After an especially devastating heartbreak I had worked myself into a creative rut, which only made my sadness more consuming. I had been looking into Neighpon culture for inspiration towards my spring line for the coming year. I only had a handful of weeks left to finish the design phase of my dress work and the days were getting shorter as winter snuck closer and closer.
The sadness was palpable and very tiring, unable to shake the feeling off I grew weary. The world seemed to be working against me, with my life falling apart as I sulked. Tea was my only solace, so wearily I made my way into the kitchen. After a grueling wait the kettle started to whistle, at which point I extracted it from the stove top. Filling a dainty teacup I began to raise it up shakily, only to carelessly burn my lip. The burn wasn’t painful, but shocking. I could only stare in abject horror as the cup fell and broke, two large pieces coming off the cup.
My expression turned dour as my depression peaked, it seemed the world was against me. It had been one of my favorite cups, and just like my heart it had shattered. All that beauty, it’s fragility had been it’s downfall. I scoffed as I looked upon the poor sight, disdain towards myself outweighing my sadness as tears streaked down my face. Despite myself, I carefully scooped up the pieces, holding them gently in my forelegs. Surely this wasn’t how it ended? After all, Cups could be fixed. Looking around quickly for a solution, even just some glue could help. It was then that my gaze fell upon the Neighpon magazine.
Across the front was pottery, as it was a lifestyle magazine rather than a fashion magazine. I immediately remembered Kintsugi, the pottery technique. Hope swelled in my breast at the thought, Kintsugi was the practice of taking broken pottery and repairing it with gold, platinum, or silver, making the pottery even more beautiful than before. I had no silver or gold, but there was a pony in town that I could obtain some from easily. As hope towards the repair of my cup rose I set it down gently to be dealt with later, walking over to the mannequin housing one of my dresses.
Just like that cup, my life could be dealt with similarly. Even if it’s falling apart, I can still repair it and maybe even make it more beautiful than before. With this knowledge in mind I took the dress firmly in my hooves and tore it apart, the tear quickly becoming an eyesore. I tore it again and then once more before carefully turning away to grab some thread. Looking back at the dress, gold thread in hoof, I got to work on my new spring line, threading beautiful cherry blossoms along the tears.

~

Analysis

Raritys essay is one of overcoming sadness, as well as finding inspiration. This lesson would resonate with many ponies, seeing as the concept of staying determined is an important one. For a pony who has personally stood by me in the face of adversity, I can tell you it's a lesson that was truly taken to heart. The piece rings with a piercing innocence, that of a pony so susceptible to circumstance. Whether this is seen as a good thing, highlighting a pureness of heart, or revealing a weakness, the tone is there.
There is a strong introduction with the acknowledgement of the concept that is the focus of the paper, while leaving enough intrigue and mystery to warrant further reading. The paper opens up showing a wide variety of interests, hinting at an inviting personality. A pony at peace with and seeking change. This is humbled by the reason for the topic, a situation most ponies know well. Heartbreak is an uncomfortable topic for many, but this one is approached with an uplifting tone.
While a little typical, with the world seemingly at the writers throat, it’s a well aimed attack towards your sympathy. The cup serves as an adequate proxy for the speaker, making the climax prominent. The speakers nurturement of the cup is a nice nod towards her consoling of herself. The imagery is somewhat broken as the last chapter directly mentions the connection, which could have definitely be worked better. However the ending strongly resonates with passion as she is willing to tear apart her creation with the faith that everything will be okay. 
The second mentioning of the pottery technique seems quick and cliched, but was more than likely as it was in life. Regardless, the way it was stated could be worked upon. Beside that small hiccup pacing was nice, not lingering on unimportant topics too much while lingering long enough on important ones. There definitely could have been a nicer way to work in the definition of Kintsugi, but the definition itself was adequate for the lesson it presented.

-	Twilight Sparkle