i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
"Do you think if MLP began marketing their toys to little girls AND bronies that they would go bankrupt?'
They definitely ARE considering bronies with what they releasing.
I mean, they're not going to do Trollestia or Rainbow Dash/Pinkie Pie double pack complete with chain-saw and adjustable table with restraints, but many, MANY of the new pony figures are just background characters that have barely been shown that bronies fell in love with and devote tons of fan-art too on the inter-blag.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
I noticed that too, and was rather surprised. But I'm sure they can only make so many and have to balance what the bronies are going to buy with what kids are going to want.
I wonder if the reason that they aren't replacing all the random-ass extra ponies that don't appear in the show with ones that fans are exited about is along the same lines of the reason WOTC doesn't make full-art lands in every set.
That is, the general player consensus is that full-art lands are much more appealing and it would be nice if they were the standard. WOTC knows of their popularity, but they want to keep it as something special to use every now and then to get people excited rather than something that just becomes the norm that we all get used to.
In any case, I like that they're apparently receptive to community feedback.
I don't think they pray to Celestia so much as revere her heavily for her power and monarch status. I don't think they're under any illusions that she's all-seeing or anything like that. I seriously doubt that any non-fringe Equestrian religion would consider her responsible for the souls of the dead. Now that I think about it, other than that whole controlling the sun and being the leader, I think maybe Celestia doesn't resemble a god as much as Pinkie does. Discord might be even more appropriately considered one.
The priest at the funeral certainly seems suggestive of the existence of religion, but at the same time it could just be an attempt to evoke symbols we're familiar with seeing at funerals. In any case, I doubt that they're ever going to directly address religion, and I'm just fine with that. I think that as it stands, viewers are more or less free to put what they want in their headcanons in terms of pony religion.
From what we've seen, I personally think that their society is generally secular. At the very least, there aren't any buildings we could easily identify as churches, the holidays have more to do with celebrating nature and societal aspects, and there at least isn't any repeated mention of a deity as would be the case in some more... fundamental(?) human cultures.
I can just imagine the little girls watching MLP now when they're grown up seeing a My Little Pony ad:
"Hey, I loved that show as a kid! Maybe I should look it up, do some reminiscing." -types My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic into google- "OH MY GOD WHAT IS ALL THIS"
^^Well, I don't think acknowledging the existence of powerful beings and respecting their authority is quite the same as religion. I wouldn't say dogs practice Cesar Millan-ism and have a theocratic pack structure.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
They seem pretty damn impressed with Celestia when she shows up in person. They certainly at least treat her has a Queen who rules by divine right. Considering their ruler controls the sun, you could say their lives literally revolve around it.
Of course, in this case, she's literally divine or a close pony equivalent.
I'd say with all the symbolism and stained glass windows, etc.. that comes with Luna and Celestia, they definitely function as the ponies religion.
Just thinking about pony society, you could definitely break down a Celestia/Luna religion in such a way that it would conform to scholarly definitions of a religion.
The god-princesses just don't really require much from their subjects in terms of worship or weekly rituals as far as we seen.
There's definitely some annual rituals though, like the Solstice ritual in the first episodes.
I just think the structure here is substantially different from how we would think of a religion. Instead of praying to their gods to help them in their times of trouble, the ponies can just send a letter , or even take a trip to try to see their god-princess in person.
I mean, for them it isn't a religion at all, it's simply a fact of life. You don't believe in Princess Celestia, you know the Princess is there, in her castle, doing her thing.
It's not as though she's easy to figure out, though. Twilight's had contact with her for years, but she doesn't seem to be able to predict very well what she's liable to do. And it seems to me that Celestia is quite willing to keep that air of mystery when it suits her goals or amuses her.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Erm, the things you mentioned aren't exactly defining aspects of all religions.
So if we break out ye ol' seven dimensions of religion:
Ritual: Not a ton, but there are a few celebrations tied to Celestia and Luna.
Narrative and Mythic: Covered in the first episode, Celestia and Luna are very old and have a colorful history
Experiential and emotional: This might be a bit harder to pin down as the "gods" are tangible, but there certainly seems to be a sense of awes most ponies get when being around either Luna or Celestia. Again, this might be harder to separate from natural reactions to there physical presence.
Social and Institutional: Definitely here. Especially considering the titles of our god-ponies and the their roles in socipony.
Ethical and legal: One would imagine their are set rules somewhere. Might be hard to say if somehow the ponies manage to operate with some sort of unspoken moral code, but they certainly understand things like "stealing" even if their society doesn't seem to have much in terms of crime and punishment.
Doctrinal and philosophical: This would probably be the weakest of the dimensions, as was pointed out, they can ask the princesses views on things. Though if doctrine is understood in terms of what the princesses say are to be done on certain matters, it certainly follows.
Material: Stained glass windows for one. It's unclear if Celestia or Luna has any relics associated with them, but there are certainly material objects that are associated with the myth and narrative dimensions.
I think a key take away here is to not think in terms of Western Religion so much as Eastern religion meets D&D religion. What we have here is something entwined with their culture to the point where their culture could be indiscernible from their religion, a la Shintoism or Confucianism.
Also, yes, their gods are highly accessible, even more so than D&D where saying "If I'm lying, may Pelor strike me down!" could result in a heavenly blast descending on your lying ass. Though that fact doesn't necessarily mean it's not a religion.
It would help to know if the other races had their own god-princes or god-princesses here, so there was something to contrast pony culture against.
That being said magic, the ability to control the weather, etc.., almost make the ponies gods themselves in the eyes of humans.
Rainbow Dash herself could easily change weather conditions, and that's just because she's a Pegasus. So we're looking at the culture of a bunch of beings who certainly have much, MUCH easier day to day lives and control over those lives then us humans.
Eh. Call it what you want. In any case, it seems clear to me that there are some important aspects of how it all goes that don't exist in any Earth religion.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Perhaps, but our society would definitely benefit from controlling the weather.
Makes me wonder weather would occur naturally without pony influence, or if the deserts we see are just where the ponies don't really care to adjust the local thermostat, as it where.
Well, it still rains in the Everfree Forest, presumably. (See also, Hearths' Warming Eve, although I guess those things were horses too.)
And ponies don't have internet, for one. That's arguably just as god-like and intangible as many manifestations of pony magic.
I wouldn't be surprised if they used computers for a gag at some point. Or maybe even a whole episode dedicated to "Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned to internet less". Of course, they would call it the PONYNet.
They had arcade machines in the last episode, and there's not telling what sort of computational power that machine Twilight had hooked up to Pinkie had.
They arguably could have computers, but it's certainly doubtful that there are any approaching the sophistication of what you have in your house.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
I think a big part is they have less need for technology with the ponies natural traits often taking care of what we need technology for.
Obviously, there's some. They have trains, it seems. I'm guessing they at least have printing presses or something for easy distribution of books and such.
I think they have pencils.
I can't seem to remember if they have radios or TVs though.
Might be fun to sit down and figure out a GURPs sort of tech level to the Ponyverse. What technology they have seems a bit different from what we have.
What color is their poop? Since they aren't like normal horses, would rainbow dash's poop come out really fast and Fluttershy's plays peek a boo and Pinkie pie's poop just teleport into the toilet and appear randomly in places it doesn't belong and wasn't expected?
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Is it bad that I wondered if Pinkie Pie's poop tasted like their was a party in your mouth?
I'm not sure why I assumed it would just find its ways into sandwiches and stuff...
So, maybe ponies are at something like Earth ~70s level of tech? Minus some transportation stuff because they don't need it as bad, but also minus TVs and Radios for some reason?
Pinkie has a bathroom with a bath. Spike admitted to using up all the hot water in Ponyville when he took a bath once. Mr. Cake washed his hands in the sink after changing diapers.
I imagine their weapons technology isn't especially developed. There's mentions of tanks in the show, and Pinkie has a de-weaponized cannon, but I don't think anything especially deadly is common, which is understandable given their culture. Warfare seems to revolve around destroying buildings, tossing food, and tricking enemies into running into anvils.
You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
Comments
I wish Twilight had been in it more, though, and the rest of the mane six.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
I see Octavia is absent from the upcoming toy lineups. -sulks-
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Anyway, all the...many episodes I watched today (seriously, I let myself fall behind terribly) were pretty okay-to-excellent.
That's a funny term for a society ruled by sun and moon goddesses, which was recently invaded by the god of discord.
"Hey, I loved that show as a kid! Maybe I should look it up, do some reminiscing."
-types My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic into google-
"OH MY GOD WHAT IS ALL THIS"
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Our Princess, who art in Canterlot
Hallowed by thy mane...
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
Ritual: Not a ton, but there are a few celebrations tied to Celestia and Luna.
Narrative and Mythic: Covered in the first episode, Celestia and Luna are very old and have a colorful history
Experiential and emotional: This might be a bit harder to pin down as the "gods" are tangible, but there certainly seems to be a sense of awes most ponies get when being around either Luna or Celestia. Again, this might be harder to separate from natural reactions to there physical presence.
Social and Institutional: Definitely here. Especially considering the titles of our god-ponies and the their roles in socipony.
Ethical and legal: One would imagine their are set rules somewhere. Might be hard to say if somehow the ponies manage to operate with some sort of unspoken moral code, but they certainly understand things like "stealing" even if their society doesn't seem to have much in terms of crime and punishment.
Doctrinal and philosophical: This would probably be the weakest of the dimensions, as was pointed out, they can ask the princesses views on things. Though if doctrine is understood in terms of what the princesses say are to be done on certain matters, it certainly follows.
Material: Stained glass windows for one. It's unclear if Celestia or Luna has any relics associated with them, but there are certainly material objects that are associated with the myth and narrative dimensions.
I think a key take away here is to not think in terms of Western Religion so much as Eastern religion meets D&D religion. What we have here is something entwined with their culture to the point where their culture could be indiscernible from their religion, a la Shintoism or Confucianism.
Also, yes, their gods are highly accessible, even more so than D&D where saying "If I'm lying, may Pelor strike me down!" could result in a heavenly blast descending on your lying ass. Though that fact doesn't necessarily mean it's not a religion.
It would help to know if the other races had their own god-princes or god-princesses here, so there was something to contrast pony culture against.
That being said magic, the ability to control the weather, etc.., almost make the ponies gods themselves in the eyes of humans.
Rainbow Dash herself could easily change weather conditions, and that's just because she's a Pegasus. So we're looking at the culture of a bunch of beings who certainly have much, MUCH easier day to day lives and control over those lives then us humans.
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
☭
B̤̺͍̰͕̺̠̕u҉̖͙̝̮͕̲ͅm̟̼̦̠̹̙p͡s̹͖ ̻T́h̗̫͈̙̩r̮e̴̩̺̖̠̭̜ͅa̛̪̟͍̣͎͖̺d͉̦͠s͕̞͚̲͍ ̲̬̹̤Y̻̤̱o̭͠u̥͉̥̜͡ ̴̥̪D̳̲̳̤o̴͙̘͓̤̟̗͇n̰̗̞̼̳͙͖͢'҉͖t̳͓̣͍̗̰ ͉W̝̳͓̼͜a̗͉̳͖̘̮n͕ͅt͚̟͚ ̸̺T̜̖̖̺͎̱ͅo̭̪̰̼̥̜ ̼͍̟̝R̝̹̮̭ͅͅe̡̗͇a͍̘̤͉͘d̼̜ 
⚢
Do ponies take showers?
What color is their poop? Since they aren't like normal horses, would rainbow dash's poop come out really fast and Fluttershy's plays peek a boo and Pinkie pie's poop just teleport into the toilet and appear randomly in places it doesn't belong and wasn't expected?
i get so angry sometimes i just punch plankton --Klinotaxis
☭
B̤̺͍̰͕̺̠̕u҉̖͙̝̮͕̲ͅm̟̼̦̠̹̙p͡s̹͖ ̻T́h̗̫͈̙̩r̮e̴̩̺̖̠̭̜ͅa̛̪̟͍̣͎͖̺d͉̦͠s͕̞͚̲͍ ̲̬̹̤Y̻̤̱o̭͠u̥͉̥̜͡ ̴̥̪D̳̲̳̤o̴͙̘͓̤̟̗͇n̰̗̞̼̳͙͖͢'҉͖t̳͓̣͍̗̰ ͉W̝̳͓̼͜a̗͉̳͖̘̮n͕ͅt͚̟͚ ̸̺T̜̖̖̺͎̱ͅo̭̪̰̼̥̜ ̼͍̟̝R̝̹̮̭ͅͅe̡̗͇a͍̘̤͉͘d̼̜ 
⚢
^ and minus access to the internet because that would cause some major meta-saturation from reading in-jokes and become overly aware of their medium.
Horses poop. I assume Pegasi and Ponycorns would poop too.
And considering Apple Jack's diet...her visits from brown heaven would be like POW!FUCKYOUTOILET! and leave her with that "wut.jpeg" face afterwards.
☭
B̤̺͍̰͕̺̠̕u҉̖͙̝̮͕̲ͅm̟̼̦̠̹̙p͡s̹͖ ̻T́h̗̫͈̙̩r̮e̴̩̺̖̠̭̜ͅa̛̪̟͍̣͎͖̺d͉̦͠s͕̞͚̲͍ ̲̬̹̤Y̻̤̱o̭͠u̥͉̥̜͡ ̴̥̪D̳̲̳̤o̴͙̘͓̤̟̗͇n̰̗̞̼̳͙͖͢'҉͖t̳͓̣͍̗̰ ͉W̝̳͓̼͜a̗͉̳͖̘̮n͕ͅt͚̟͚ ̸̺T̜̖̖̺͎̱ͅo̭̪̰̼̥̜ ̼͍̟̝R̝̹̮̭ͅͅe̡̗͇a͍̘̤͉͘d̼̜ 
⚢
Fandom seems to have decided that the jelly-obsessed pony's name is Hugh Jelly.
...now I wonder if there could be fanfic with Cheerilee as his companion in the PONY TARDIS.