Friendship is Card Games: She Talks to Angel · 11:42am Sep 1st, 2019
Given the time slot, I suppose this is less Freaky Friday and more Surreal Saturday. Either way, it raises some concerning questions regarding Equestrian wildlife.
While I can understand Fluttershy trying to enforce a “please do not eat the other residents” policy at the sanctuary, I can’t help but think of one of her more notorious moments of ecosystem management from Season 1. And you’d think she’d have some source of acceptable protein available. Fish? Insects? Eggs? Something? Maybe the sheer degree of overwork she’s putting herself through has driven her slightly mad through a combination of stress and sleep deprivation. Or she’s just tired of accidentally eating out of the carnivores’ food supply due to same.
I do appreciate Dr. Fauna’s comment on Fluttershy controlling chaos. Discord was merely practice for her little stretch of the animal kingdom.
4/10 on the Zecora dialogue. Sure, it rhymes, but the rhythm’s shaky at best.
I know the show called it a “fire lizard,” but that is clearly a salamander. I suppose they couldn’t just drop in the folkloric reference devoid of context when the name’s the same as the actual amphibian.
Interesting that Dr. Fauna still provides checkups for the sanctuary residents. I suppose bringing in a pony with an actual medical degree helps.
It’s always nice to see the show acknowledge that between the school and their own lives, the Mane Six are extremely strapped for time these days. And the contrast between now and “Fake It ’Til You Make It” works; clearly Sweetfeather Sanctuary has gotten a lot busier since then.
If Twilight didn’t help make that checklist, I will be truly astonished.
So… what exactly goes into a vegan snake treat? Especially when they’re considered adequate food for something that breathes fire. I suppose it works when Pinkie makes them. (And seriously, Fluttershy, you’re making the carnivores go vegan? That’s just cruel.)
This episode raises questions about every animal’s intelligence, but I remain convinced that that giraffe in particular is freeloading. No idea why Zecora’s letting her get away with it. I can only assume blackmail held in reserve to keep the zebra compliant.
I’ve never given much thought as to the nature of Fluttershy and Angel’s relationship before, but this definitely gave the sense of a bratty child complaining because Mom got a new job and can’t pay as much attention to him. Meanwhile, the talk with Zecora almost came across as marriage counseling. I suppose siblings are a workable compromise, but I didn’t really see it… until I compared Angel to Zephyr Breeze. At least the rabbit doesn’t hit on Rainbow Dash.
I’m going to pin Fluttershy not being able to remember her last critter picnic—which was “Fake It ’Til You Make It” again, after she established the sanctuary—on exhaustion and overwork. It was at most a year ago, after all.
As stated above, the fact that Angel is fully comprehensible once he’s in Fluttershy’s body makes me wonder how many other animals would easily adapt to life in equine society. Or at least be able to make themselves understood and/or make use of all six available limbs. (He may not fly, but he gets used to wing hands very quickly.) One possibility I’ve seen presented is that Fluttershy gradually heightens an animal’s intelligence the more time they spend around her, and Angel’s been with her longer than pretty much any of her other creatures. He may not be her brother so much as her familiar. He certainly seems more aware than the eagle that tries to eat Fluttershy later.
On a lighter note, Andrea Libman clearly had a blast with voicing Angel in Fluttershy’s body, and it’s objectively amazing.
Also, inevitable Fluttershy's Bad “Hare” Day reference goes here. And now I’m kind of disappointed we didn’t get more Philosogummy out of this episode. 
Also also, there were witnesses when the potion took effect, right? If nothing else, they saw the two trade places, followed by Fluttershy acting far from Flutternormal.
Fascinating to see that the Stare carries over, yet Fluttershy’s cutie mark doesn’t. I half-expected both of them to be blank flanks after the swap (It’s not Angel’s talent, and bunny hips don’t work that way.)
“I talk to animals, I wanna marry Discord…” Yeah. That is an offhand comment with a lot to unpack. Is it Angel trolling Fluttershy, voicing his read on their relationship, or divulging something Fluttershy told him in confidence? Heck, her unraveling sanity would probably make each more attractive to the other.
Also, either Dr. Fauna just didn’t want to probe this particular spore of madness too closely, or we just saw how easy it was for changelings to infiltrate pony society during Chrysalis’s reign. Or both; they’re not mutually exclusive.
It is appropriate that Fluttershy ran into the other pair of interspecies siblings among the main cast. A shame she didn’t think to write in the dirt or something.
Zecora, you absolute troll. Discord would be proud… though given Fluttershy’s condition by the time she gets back to the sanctuary, pride might not be the foremost emotion he’d feel.
Good thing Antoine’s body is oxygen-permeable.
I have to say, the carrot concentrate was actually well foreshadowed. Didn’t think it would come up beyond demonstrating what an ass Angel was being earlier on.
“You little bunny who’s a pony who’s a bunny.” Not quite sure I follow Angel’s reasoning there. Clear affection’s present, but that statement could be taken several ways.
Not much to say about this one. It’s a fun romp, but those issues I harped on aren’t going away any time soon. Still, it’s very telling to compare Fluttershy and Angel’s interaction here versus, say, “Putting Your Hoof Down.” That is not a mare who will tolerate tantrums thrown over missing cherries. Not anymore. And after this experience, that isn’t a bunny who’d throw one either. Character growth for everyone!
And now for the next item on my to-do list:
Failure to Communicate 1W
Instant
Target player can’t attack with creatures or activate abilities of creatures this turn.
An army that can’t understand its commander effectively doesn’t have one.
Everfree Eagle 3W
Creature — Bird
Flying
1G: Everfree Eagle can’t be blocked by more than one creature this turn.
Trying to distract a diving eagle works exactly as well as you’d think it would.
3/2
Decree of Nonviolence 4WW
Enchantment
Vanishing 3 (This enchantment enters the battlefield with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.)
Players skip their combat phases.
Cycling 2W (2W, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle Decree of Nonviolence, target player skips their next combat phase this turn.
Drowsing Flamingo 1U
Creature — Bird
Flying
Inspired — Whenever Drowsing Flamingo becomes untapped, you may tap target creature.
“The world of dreams is not limited to ponies. All creatures pass through the gates of horn and ivory.”
—Princess Luna
1/3
Overworked Caretaker 2U
Creature — Pegasus Citizen
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control four or more creatures, return another creature you control to its owner’s hand.
Everyone needs a way to keep their workload manageable.
2/3
Zebra Therapist 2UU
Creature — Zebra Advisor
When Zebra Therapist enters the battlefield, you may exchange control of two other target creatures.
“Try walking a mile in the other’s feet.”
2/2
Transfer Form 3U
Instant
Choose two target creatures. Each becomes a copy of the other until end of turn.
An out-of-body experience, in the sense that you experience another body.
Sanctuary Stockpile 5U
Sorcery
This spell costs 1 less to cast for each color among creatures you control.
Draw three cards.
The sheer variety of residents at Sweetfeather Sanctuary means Fluttershy needs to keep a bit of everything on hoof.
Sweetfeather Rat Pack 3B
Creature — Rat
2G: Sweetfeather Rat Pack gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
When Sweetfeather Rat Pack dies, create a number of 1/1 black Rat creature tokens equal to its power.
Fluttershy invited them, knowing they’d be there regardless.
2/2
Insatiable Python 3BB
Creature — Snake
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Insatiable Python this turn dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Insatiable Python.
2/2
Public Disturbance R
Instant
Kicker B (You may pay an additional B as you cast this spell.)
Target creature you control deals 1 damage to each other creature. If this spell was kicked, that creature gains lifelink until end of turn before it deals the damage.
Lapine Instigator 1R
Creature — Rabbit Rogue
1R, T: Goad target creature. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
“If there’s one thing Angel excels at, it’s getting others’ attention.”
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
2/1
Young Salamander 1R
Creature — Elemental Salamander
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Young Salamander.
When Young Salamander dies, add an amount of R equal to its power.
Well-fed hatchlings can go from belching smoke to starting wildfires within a week.
0/1
Carrot Extract 1G
Instant
Strive — This spell costs 1G more to cast for each target beyond the first.
Any number of target creatures get +2/+2 until end of turn. Untap those creatures.
Enough concentrated nutrients to perk up anything.
Magus of the Chain 2G
Creature — Rabbit Wizard
T, Exile another creature you control: Add X mana of any one color, where X is 1 plus the exiled creature’s converted mana cost. Spend this mana only to cast creature spells.
1/2
Sporestalker Wolf 2G
Creature — Wolf Mutant
Whenever Sporestalker Wolf deals combat damage to a player, create a 1/1 green Saproling token.
G, Sacrifice a Fungus, Plant, or Saproling: Put a +1/+1 counter on Sporestalker Wolf.
When Sandra balked at her new diet, Fluttershy asked Starlight to help her adapt.
3/2
Gust-Trunk Elephant 4G
Creature — Elephant
Reach
Whenever Gust-Trunk Elephant blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, unattach all permanents attached to that creature.
Her breath can blast more than birds aside.
3/4
Ursine Guru 5G
Creature — Bear Advisor
Whenever Ursine Guru or another creature with power 4 or greater enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
“He’s very wise. I’m helping him write a book.”
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
4/4
Gem Tart 3
Artifact
Gem Tart enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add one mana of any color. You gain 1 life.
A dragon’s snack can also provide energy in far stranger ways.
Glowcap Harvest BG
Sorcery
Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard. Return up to one permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
“As the fungi feed and shine, they call back what once was mine.”
—Zecora, zebra shaman
Bride of Discord 3BR
Creature — Pegasus Shaman
Flying
This spell has cascade if you control a Discord planeswalker as you cast it. (When you cast it, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.)
4/2
I hate the Discord line because the Fluttercord shippers will be all over it, but the fact is, it's perfectly reasonable. Just like Twilight having a crush on Princess Celestia is perfectly reasonable. It's blithely giving them what they want that's the issue...
5114602
And you non-Fluttercord folks are implicitly killing off either Fluttershy or Twilight, because "Twilight will not outlive her friends" and nobody seriously grants alicorns a comprehensive enough form of immortality to save Rainbow Dash from herself. (You're either using it as a punchline or you're writing the type of sadfic that's better served by ignoring that particular Word of God)
5114616
If we must have an argument here—and I'd much rather we not—could we at least keep it limited to topics actually discussed by either the episode or other comments? I don't know why you pulled the mortality issue into this nor do I care to.
5114617
Actually, let's go into an even crazier left-field: MaRo just let slip on his blog that the secondary market exists. For all that we joke about him destroying Magic, this could legitimately lead to its downfall.
Thank you! It bothered me that Fluttershy and Dr. Fauna acted like carnivores can just change to a vegan (not just vegetarian) diet on a whim. It's possible that the ponies have a magical dietary supplement in those soy cookies that fill in the nutritional gaps, but it would be nice if the show mentioned it (plus, I remember Fluttershy feeding fish to a ferret in an early episode).
Yeah, I wasn't clear on exactly how the potion worked. Did it really swap their bodies, or did it make them look like each other? If it's the latter, it would more easily explain why the Stare carried over.
Nitpicks aside, I haven't laughed this hard at an episode since “Twilight's Eight.” Would definitely watch again.
5114630
Well, it's not like she's forcing every animal in the area to stay at the sanctuary. Case in point: the eagle in the episode. The way I see it, the residents are exchanging their freedoms to roam about the land and pick their own diet for security, shelter, and medical care. Any animal that arrangement doesn't appeal to in some fashion simply isn't going to show up. The snake is just a jerk, I guess.
Also, wow that episode had a lot of stuff for us to work with. Canon body-swapping, Fluttercord, Angel with dialogue...
Let's go with this.... even though the real answer is this was clearly written by someone who does not understand how animals work. The idea is sound, I like it was clear this was a "Don't eat other animals while here at the sanctuary" thing not a "Give up your natural diet entirely. " One, but no Fluttershy, some of those creatures are obligate carnivores, they NEED to eat meat to survive. Or at least some very, very specialized processed food that is able to contain the nutrients they need, not just "Try eating a carrot."
Pretty much, and who didn't call what that thing was from the start? Seriously, Flutters must be overworked if she thinks any Gecko would be belching smoke and it just be something they ate.
Bookhorse has taught her friends well.
I'm a bit sad I thought that as well. At least Angel does care for Fluttershy and does try to help her and look out for her, when he's not being a brat because he's not getting his own way.
No, no no no NO! Bad FomE! He is NOT a 'familiar', those are wizard (or some other arcane based classes) class features. Fluttershy is a Druid, Angel his her Animal Companion. And yeah, those get a lot of stat boosts for being such. (All Hail Olivia! Future Goddess of Destruction....and clams. The Otter companion to a druid in one of my Ponyfinder games, who went on to be the most famous member of the party, and ended the campaign as a dual sickle wielding barbarian who rode on an awakened Warcat.)
This is ponyville, everypony has gotten so used to this weird stuff,they don't even notice anymore.
Ohhhhh boy that line. The Writers seemed to have sprung an Exxon Valdiz level leak in a shipping fuel carrier this season.
"Well, that was grade A trolling and teaching through chaos. But on the other appendage, you hurt Fluttershy. So, as a reward for that first part, I'll let you choose which vegetable you spend the next century as."
Or ever was... why do people keep holding single acts which are extremely negative beyond anything else they've ever done, done in eps that screw over every character it touches, against certain characters? Angel in PYHD, The Wonderbolts in Rainbow Falls, etc...
5114646
The issue isn't the "Don't eat other residents" thing, that makes sense. The issue is, there ARE valid options to use for predators to get the nutrients they need without having to eat other creatures. But that the options Fluttershy was trying to give them were not ones that would work.
5114646
The carnivores aren't receiving adequate care if they eat a vegan diet for a week, though. Even if the ponies do have a magical supplement that would prevent the carnivores from being malnurished, a sudden switch in diet would still give them indigestion. It's much harder for obligate carnivores to digest carbohydrates than it is for herbivores to digest protein and animal fat.
I just don't understand why Fluttershy would put the carnivores through it if she wants all the animals to receive optimal care.
5114655
5114649
Oh, duh. That didn't occur to me initially, but yeah, digestive systems not prepared to handle the switch in intake would be a problem. Then again, this is a setting where some creatures can somehow consume emotions for sustenance, so maybe if the cookies are baked with lots of love it'd be fine? 🤷
5114658
It would be so easy to address, during the meeting, just have her point out she had food specially for them they could eat instead of the other animals. Rather then telling them to try eating carrots cause they might like it.
Call it a Fire Salamander then.
It surprised me there was no tell. In all the cartoons I watched growing up, if a character switched bodies, was transformed, or disguised as another character, there was an indicator. Sometimes having the voice come out of the other body, otherwise it was visual detail indicating who was who. So having Angel Bunny in Fluttershy's body look and sound exactly like her, with the only indicator being his behavior, it was unexpected.
The snake is called Antoine! I missed that detail, but it makes the de Saint-Exupéry reference perfect.
There were enough hints in the episode that the animal behaviour should not be analysed with conventional biology any more than Pinkie Pie should be analysed using Newtonian physics.
I find it hard to take the "I wanna marry Discord" line as anything other than Angel voicing his jealousy.
I've kept saying it for years - animal intelligence in Equestria is weird.
I just can't shake the feeling those critters could go "Planet of the Apes" if given the chance and some time for developing their own society.
Heck, we may have seen the mid-way point between animal and "creature" in the early IDW comics:
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They build houses, clearly have a society - yet they act more like playful, non-speaking kittens.
And come to think of it, we do know for a fact of another cat-race, though this one can talk, and doesn't quite act like... that. Makes you wonder just how the two are related.
...Makes you wonder, indeed.
I can't help but to remember an old blogpost from Kwakerjak raising the question if Angel Bunny isn't secretly an Esquilax:
A horse with the head of a rabbit, and the body of a... rabbit.
...And then Angel Bunny got his cutie mark.
Alternatively, imagine if a species swap like this happened at a young age. A very young age.
Would they even remember ever having been another species? Would there be a noticeable difference in behavior growing up? How can you tell this never happened before?
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...The punchline of the joke: Scootaloo is actually a chicken who swapped her body with that of a pony when she was 6 months old, and even she doesn't remember.
One word: Animal book reading club.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/d/d1/Angel_and_animals_continue_the_book_club_meeting_S5E23.png
...Okay, four words, but you get the idea.
We may have a "Fluffles" situation here, only less "take over the world"-y.
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On the other hoof - exactly how long did it take Fluttershy to get that family of raccoons to start working at "Rarity For You"?
Is this a passive magical intelligence boost, persistent even in her absence - or is this a matter of simply being pointed in the right direction and overcoming a communication deficit between ponies (who aren't Fluttershy) and animals that ordinarily prevents this level of organization?
Yeah... that... isn't how carnivores work, Fluttershy, which I think you know.
I could've accepted a magical solution, or a magical meat-substitute, or importing lab-grown meat from the human world, but... just saying "eat your carrots" doesn't make much sense. Imagine ponies meeting a sapient race of plants, and the plants demand indignantly that ponies switch to an exclusive photosynthesis diet.
...Snake treats that look like chocolate chip cookies, and made by Pinkie Pie, presumably at Sugar Cube Corner. I see no way this could go badly.
I could buy that she can't talk at the moment because of her sore throat, but yeah.
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[FULL VIEW]
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...Clementine was enjoying this a little too much.
...I didn't even think about that, but yeah. In an episode about animals, this would've made sense.
.......Hey, come to think of it; was there ever an explanation of what's up with the plastic/plush alligator human-world Pinkie Pie has? Feels a bit odd, seeing that. Like, human-world Rainbow Dash still has Tank, Fluttershy has Angel, AJ still has Winona (I think?). Well, Sci-Twi doesn't have Owlowiscious, though I could see dog-Spike chasing some persistent owl in their front yard every once in a while.
(Though come to think of it, what little I've seen of human-world Angel, he seems far more well-behaved. In light of this episode, I wonder what the story here is, though I suspect human-world Angel isn't actually intelligent. "Through a mirror, darkly; This is who you could have been in another life."
)
Either human Pinkie wanted an alligator as a pet and had already settled on a name, but her parents wouldn't let her have one. Or she found out from pony-Pinkie about Gummy and then wanted her own version, but couldn't get a real alligator.
I'm guessing out-of-universe Hasbro didn't wanna promote kids trying to get alligators as a pet or something?
...Was anyone else disturbed by the implications of this?
Why would Angel be so happy to be able to talk? Does Angel not have the ability to talk to other animals properly? Are all the other animals just so unintelligent compared to him that having a conversation with them is pointless?
It somewhat lends credence to the “You little bunny who’s a pony who’s a bunny.” line. He's... alienated from his own species, and the only meaningful friend he has is Fluttershy.
. . .
Let me repeat that.
Angel Bunny. Only. Has. ONE. Friend.
A friend who no longer has much time for him.
In a world running on friendship.
This explains a lot.
This isn't a "bratty kid", this is skirting on tragedy.
If Angel was a unicorn, he'd totally be going "Starlight".
Speaking of which:
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...Uhm. Uh. UHmmmm.
This is a little more complicated when we all thought, isn't it?
In that second-to-last scene, when Fluttershy was delivering Angel's apology, I totally thought that was Angel in Fluttershy's body again at first, and they were doing, like, a "time share" thing.
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...But then again, why did Fluttershy need to translate what Angel was saying to the other animals?
Can the different animal species not communicate amongst each other? Is it just Angel who has this problem? How does this work?
Also, on the last scene ... yeah, Zecora totally did this on purpose and is completely unapologetic about it. Wouldn't be so smug if Fluttershy had gotten eaten by an eagle, would she?
...I do appreciate that the vet pony actually was informed about what had happened after the fact, it always irks me when some "wacky, improbable thing" causes lots of awkward misunderstandings - and the wacky misunderstandings are never cleared up and remain awkward afterwards.
Angel may owe some market goers a small apology next time they're out buying carrots.
...I do wonder how other ponies would react finding out Angel Bunny is perfectly capable of acting the part of a pony. Maybe legitimize his enrollment at the school of friendship as the first bunny-student?
Does this apply to other animals? What would happen, say, next time Applejack has a critter-problem, she got body-swapped with one of them? How would this change her perspective on animals, and vice-versa?
I admit, I feel I am not quite as "at home" in the same places as you, they're merely a frequently visited "vacation spot" by comparison.
So, the term "familiar" to me still implies an unequal subservient relationship. Say, if someone calls Spike "Twilight's familiar", it seems a little demeaning to him.
Well, usually it's said a little light-heatedly or before the character in question really gets to know him, so "No offense, none taken". But still.
For perspective, I am reminded of a story from the really early days of the fandom, where a Brony got summoned to Equestria by Pinkie Pie, on accident. As her familiar.
Well, the story didn't make it weird, but it seems a bit odd to think of a person as a familiar, doesn't it?
5114655
Bears and wolves aren't obligate carnivores though, are they? Bears are omnivores and dogs can definitely digest carbs (it's why cats shouldn't eat dog food).
5114710
No, but pythons definitely are.
5114710
Harry seemed the least put out by this, I'm guessing he was mostly there to support the "It's not that hard" side and get the other predators into trying it out.
And while Canines can eat some non-meat products and be fine,I don't think a diet based around raw carrots would work.
That's what we are saying, the issue is not that there are no other options then eating animals for them, it is that the options Fluttershy was proposing were the wrong ones.
5114698
Okay, I keep seeing people harping on this... how do people keep missing that Zecora explicitly told them not to drink the potion till they were alone and at home? They were meant to do this while safe and secure at home without others around to get involved. Things only went like they did because Angel made them drink it in the middle of town.
5114717
Didn't she bring the python bacon cookies? Presumably to avoid making the wolf jealous, although it didn't work.
5114725
Point taken, though her reaction to seeing the situation clearly having gone differently than expected made her seem much less concerned than she should've been.
Shouldn't she have helped Flutterbunny on her way back out of the Everfree Forest? Though we didn't see Bunnyshy travel back, it seems to be implied she had to travel back alone. Didn't Zecora think of the dangers this would pose?
Well, it's either that, or Zecora simply had faith in "everything turning out fine", which begs the question if she has some form of limited clairvoyance, mayhaps. She did have that "alicorns-only past-viewing"-potion.
(Or did the potion itself provide some form of protective side effect?)
...In actuality, though, my comment was more motivated by how I was actually somewhat surprised that the whole "body swap" thing was, indeed, the effect Zecora had intended, after Angel Bunny raised the question if Zecora hadn't simply given them the wrong bottle.
5114755
True, and Zecora does seem to be a very hard to unnerve Zebra, it's very rare that something gets to her, and that's usually involving giant monsters or some other "It must be Tuesday" event that you just can't be ready for. So something like this, she does seem to be very "Just go with it and it will work out" type.
5114698
Or if the writers never made a final decision about giraffes being sentient or not, and they decided "Eh, we'll give any of the fanfic writers an out with this." Same thing with making the elephant a baby to potentially excuse the button eyes and lack of speech. People like to make those a sentient race as well.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/30c1d096-b8aa-4148-b56b-d00068eebaaf/dasnbbe-d2b9836c-9521-404a-83b2-2dfecc59086c.png/v1/fill/w_1024,h_849,strp/imani___part_12_by_mlp_silver_quill_dasnbbe-fullview.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODQ5IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMzBjMWQwOTYtYjhhYS00MTQ4LWI1NmItZDAwMDY4ZWViYWFmXC9kYXNuYmJlLWQyYjk4MzZjLTk1MjEtNDA0YS04M2IyLTJkZmVjYzU5MDg2Yy5wbmciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.1aUG55xmwAUvn-xfWuGSCZX0T2bi131SQ_QkV2Fi59Q
Imani - Part 12 by Silver Quill
I like your take on him better.
Usually, I find that the second half of any MLP season contains the episodes that I care for the least. But while there were a number of first-half season nine episodes that I didn't like, I've enjoyed these most recent two. In this episode, both the writing and Andrea Libman's acting did an excellent job of giving voice to Angel.
It's possible that Angel is simply a particularly smart bunny. Even different animals of the same species can exhibit various levels of intelligence -- for example, my family has had many different dogs that were afraid of thunderstorms, but only one was smart enough to understand that the door keeping her trapped inside the house needed to have its doorknob rotated in order to open it. (She didn't succeed, as she couldn't turn a round doorknob with her teeth while simultaneously pulling the door toward her, but that was still a remarkable degree of mechanical comprehension for a dog.)
For the sake of the story, I'm willing to let the show cheat Angel's intelligence a little bit, skipping past the unfamiliarity and existential horror of being in a different body so the plot can get going.
5114648
Equestrian ponies can eat flowers and foods that Earth horses can't; who of us can say what diets are and aren't appropriate for the wild animals depicted in the show?
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Because this is a series with no consistent showrunner to keep characterization in check, so after nine years, pretty much every character has behaved in a way that has violated either past or future canon.
Although I'm not sure where this defense of Angel comes from -- the gag has pretty much always been that this cute-looking bunny is mischievous at best and downright cruel at worst. That's the entire irony of why he's named Angel.
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I'd guess that it's because in a number of states, it's illegal to own an alligator as a pet.
My comment, which I didn't get a chance to make when the Equestria Girls shorts were being discussed: Why did Pinkie name her plush alligator "Gummy" when it clearly has teeth?
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Finally: Fans are gravitating toward that "I wanna marry Discord" line, which as far as I'm concerned, would be the equivalent of someone doing an impression of Twilight Sparkle and saying, "I want to marry the encyclopedia." But if folks want to read deep into the dialogue, why not this line?:
"The stare? You can still do that? Ugh! No fair making me do your bidding against my will."
That has to be darker than what the writer intended.
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Yeah,some animals are just too damn smart.We had a cat who had learned how to pull the wire mesh of the window screen out of the molding holding it in place so he could get out through it.
False equivalency. There is a difference between specific foods within a larger overall food grouping, as with specific flowers. And completely altering the basic fundamentals of how the creature functions. Telling a wolf to just eat carrots, is more like if Ponies were suddenly chowing down on nothing but dirt.
Again, the issue is not the idea, it's that the options Fluttershy was giving make no sense, compared to options that would work. Good idea, execution clearly written by someone without a lot of knowledge when it comes to animals.
Yes, and my point is, why is it only certain characters, like Angel and the Wonderbolts, who repeatedly have these cases where they were clearly just written badly for the sake of a sub-par story held against them as if it was exactly normal for them, while others in the same position are allowed to slide. Just looking at Rainbow Falls, the Bolts get endless amounts of shit for this, but no one brings up Rarity being so inept at design and so pathetic at making outfits she thinks this is a masterpiece.
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Or brings up Applejack having an out of control feeder fetish
Or Pinkie......turning into whatever abomination of ear piercing annoyance she was in this ep (This is the first ep I have ever just wanted her to shut the hell up, and that was before they even got off the train.)
Most characters get moments like that looked over, as it's clear this is a case of just plain bad writing, but Angel and the Bolts both get the same moment brought up over and over which is the same thing. One being from a Merriwether Williams ep, that turned everypony in Ponyville into assholes for no reason,and the other from an ep that screwed over every single character it touched.
Yes, mischievous and spoiled. But never as outright abusive as he was in PYHD.
Not really. This isn't just anyone, this is the being who likely has the most knowledge of Fluttershy's feelings, and who knows more about her then anyone else in Equestria, saying this explicitly to try and prove that he was her.Meaning it's not just some joke. Now, I do think it's likely he is exaggerating things and doubt she's shopping for a ring, or even legit is considering marriage, but it's clear he knows there is some attraction of that level there.
EDIT:
Sorry for the multiple posts deleted above,I have no idea how the hell my computer spassed out to cause that.
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My point is that in a fantasy cartoon series, there must be some suspension of disbelief. And this episode makes it clear that "how animals work in real life" is included in that. This is a universe where a snake can dislocate its jaw to an anatomically impossible circumference, consume a baby elephant, then be forced to regurgitate that baby elephant with nothing but mild discomfort to either party. If all that is possible, then why can't these cartoon wolves and snakes live healthy lives eating only vegetables?
Regarding Angel's characterization, allow me to offer the following interpretation: Angel has the emotional maturity of a seven-year-old human child. If allowed to go unchecked, he can become unbearable. That level of maturity also fits the way he treats Fluttershy's duties over the course of this episode. And it puts the "marry Discord" line into what I think is the proper context.
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"Suspension of Disbelief" is not a catch all "Nothing matters cause it's all made up" excuse. It is simply a term for accepting that things which are impossible, or even highly improbable, IRL can exist in this story's verse. But they have to be things that make sense and serve a purpose for the story. It's to allow for the fantastical elements of the world to be accepted. Just saying "Well, thing that makes no sense must be true in verse despite having no proof and it being that way makes no sense not has any supporting evidence beyond it's the only way this other things makes any sense." does not work.
Occam's Razor. Which is simpler? That somehow the entire gastrointestinal process of every creature on the planet has massively shifted in ways that make no sense for what they are or their ecological niche,in ways that make them being predators making no sense,with each one having individual changes to allow for this radical change of diet,despite if it was perfectly healthy for them, why are they not already doing so,voiding every precept of evolution as we know it." Or "That scene was written by someone who didn't know a lot about feeding animals." It is simply a case of writers, being writers and not things that are not writers, like ecologists, zoologists,and in many infamous cases, mathematicians.
The idea of what this was going for is sound and fully possible. The specific way Fluttershy went about doing it is what does not make sense.
Then again, this is the pony who thought it was a great idea to keep a swarm of migratory essentially-locusts who cause famine around in one spot on a major food production location.
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The TvTropes page mentions in the same breath that the snake was chewing its treat. Snakes can't do that either (or at least don't)
Another thoroughly enjoyable round of FiCG!
You’d best believe that as an inveterate Fluttercord shipper, I’ll take any canon ammo I can get.
But what if he does, and we just can’t understand?
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In Angel's case, it's probably a combination of the ironic name and the fact that acting up is basically the only way to make his existence relevant to whatever plot the author was going for. The Wonderbolts can just be generic badasses swooping in to save the day (and being pegasi means they're literally swooping), but that's a little harder to swing with Angel. (Not that FoME hasn't doesn't so anyway, but my point still stands)