starswirlthebearded

We have now moved into existential debate territory everyone! Congratulations! But let me get serious here... The meaning of life cannot be defined as just one thing or even a series of things, nor is it even the same for everyone. The actions one takes defines their own meaning. We have changed the original meaning, which used to be simply survival. Yes, I believe the original meaning of life was merely survival and procreation. That is pretty much the one thing all life has in common, to survive until its latest time and create more of itself. However, we invented culture, and in doing so we have changed the rules. Now the meaning of life is unknown for each because now it is not as simple as merely surviving or procreating (OK some may still say procreation is part of the meaning of life, but it is only a small part). If we take a more simple world like Equestria, then the cutie mark could determine the DIRECTION of that pony's meaning of life. Why? If you took away what that cutie mark represents, then they would lose their way and their life would lose the meaning it once had. They could still find meaning in other things, friends, lovers, hobbies and so fourth, but the thing that gave them purpose and meaning would be gone. What they might have strove to do, their life's goal would be lost. To bring it BACK to the picture that started all of this, taking what I said into account... Part of the reason why Twilight had issues in the first episode before moving to Ponyville is because she has one of the more complicated cutie marks, with multiple meanings. Its not just simply magic or star gazing, but held another connection with friends and friendship. Without that friendship she was lost and awkward. As for the question Tales proposed about not believing in God or the afterlife... I feel I should answer this as an atheist. Yes, I do believe this is it. Is that a bad thing to me? Not at all, because it is my goal to make an impact on this world. If I do something that will benefit future generations or accomplish something that will leave behind a legacy, even if its just kids or relatives, then it certainly did matter. I do not believe my father is somewhere watching over me, but I do believe he is living through me, all that he has taught me and the impact he left on the people he met. He didn't do anything that was particularly spectacular in the short time he was on this planet, but he positively affected just about everyone he met and that is his legacy. That was his meaning. And if all that he taught me helps me create something through science or accomplish something through science, it will be as much his legacy as mine, as I would have never had the drive to do it without my parents' support. I personally don't even like the idea that there is something after this, that there is some reward or continuation. I want what I do in this life to matter. Even if what I do only matters to those around me, it still matters. Every person changes the world in some way, and that change reverberates through many generations, no matter how large or small. Your life has probably been affected by people you don't know nor have ever met. I do not believe you need a God or an afterlife to give your life meaning.

So you are choosing Weesh's "love others and be loved by others" Interesting... Carry on. You have no right to refuse Weesh... it is your meaning of life after all....

One of two things... A) 42, and everything in that image was just coincidence B) Twilight's plot

The meaning of life isn't friendship... However life can be meaningless without friendship. That said... That pic is awesome. I'd only noticed the running of the leaves thing. And I'm pretty sure some ponies would argue that plot is also the meaning of life, especially twilight's.

Glad to hear it worked out. Losing your father sucks...

What ignited in Twilight was the spark of friendship, that is the magic they refer to. (The show is called "Friendship is Magic") That is what activated the elements, and they naturally reacted to the pony that represented it. That is what creates the connection. The mane 6 were in disharmony, so how could they use something called the "Elements of Harmony?" Especially when Twilight was affected, which destroys the magic of friendship, the effective link between the other 5. The Princess's connection was made with her sister. After she banished her sister, the connection was destroyed. Why? Because her FRIEND (where the 6th element "Magic" comes from) was banished by her, nothing says "our friendship is over" than banishing them TO THE MOON. Destroying her ability to use the EoH. Which is why she needed her protegee to make friends. Again, she said that straight out in episode 2 of season 1 "I told you to make friends, nothing more." And likely, Celestia was watching Twilight for a long time, knowing that she had powerful magic. She seems to know everything. Which makes sense since she is in essence a god. Also... Faustcanon is not canon. Its close, but until that is confirmed by the show in some way (it probably won't be) its technically not true canon. Most fans regard it as story canon though, because Faust was basically the original creator. For the taking a direct role... I've already mentioned why Celestia couldn't utilize the EoH. And why she couldn't use them to defeat Nightmare Moon, or Discord. And she even SAID THAT in the first episode of the Second Season... The elements must be utilized in unison. They need to be in harmony to work, along with their wielders. They even called the elements "THE MOST POWERFUL MAGIC KNOWN TO PONYDOM" in the first two minutes of the very first episode. They didn't suggest that it was internalized at any time. In fact, each time they are mentioned they talk about the elements power, not the power of the wielder. They existed for a long time before that, they don't even suggest when they were created, they only allude to them being around for an unspecified amount of time that predates Celestia. Basically, mane 6 represent the EoH which is why they can use their power. Their power is nonexistent unless utilized together. There is no evidence to suggest they can ever be used solo, like the gems in Sailor Moon (or whatever their source of power was). Everything about the EoH is based upon harmony. And the mane 6, though they embody the spirit of the individual elements, don't contain their power. All evidence given by the show leads to the conclusion that its the elements that hold the power. However, the TRUE power is in friendships which is why the princess sent the letters back, as suggested by season 2 opener with discord. However that has nothing to do with the most powerful magic known to ponydom, that only allows them to utilize it.

Not to undermine your logic, but the more informational a topic is, the less people post frivolously, and thus the less posts there are overall. At least from what I have seen over the years. Especially with something like recipes, where people will be choosy about which they'll share because they want to choose ones that will be more universally accepted. Personally, if this really is the third one, I would be for the merging of all three and the stickying of the resulting topic.

Actually Twilight said it quite clearly that second episode... They embody the SPIRIT of the elements. But that is not to say they are the elements themselves. That is just silly. Then Celestia would never have broken the connection. It is pretty evident that she embodies all the elements in one. She has shown elements of each, so when Luna was banished there should have been no reason why the elements connection would have severed with her. This was not the case, which means that there is some physical representation of power. Not to mention that the elements of harmony predated Celestia, and somehow had physical forms. Also, on topic. We really know everything we need. The elements of harmony are the elements that well embody pure harmony. They are used to restore a unbalance in harmony. I think it is pretty clear cut. It is also clear that there is some control needed to wield them properly. When fighting Discord, they turned him to stone together, the intended task. When using them alone, Celestia could only banish her sister, unlike twilight and co whom had a strong connection and could control them the their maximum potential cleansing Luna.

That...is... PERFECT!

That is why I say "Grandma let's eat! Even without the comma its hard to misconstrue. Rearranging words is quite effective. Throwing commas around all willy nilly gets ponies into trouble all the time. Also... don't hurt me rosewind, but I sometimes say "ma'am" out of habit... I was brainwashed by martial arts! IT IS NOT MY FAULT! I do tend to say "miss" more often though... On the subject of things people do... Has anypony watched "The The Impotence of Proofreading" by Taylor Mali? People need to learn to proofread more >_>. I understand typos in chat, but less so on forums... Is it so hard to read over what you wrote to ensure that its at least mostly grammatically correct and free of spelling errors?

@DustyShores: how can you NOT get hammered playing the Stephen King drinking game? Its kinda hard for a good portion of his movies... (Shawshank is the most obvious exception that comes to mind) The last movie I watched was The Muppets. If there is such thing as nostalgia overload... That movie has it. I felt like I was a kid again...

To be honest, I read it as a black comedy. I thought it was brilliant black humor as well. Honestly, grimdark stuff, to me, is split into two categories... black comedy and tasteless drivel. The former is usually brilliant if done well, the latter is well... drivel. (though that is an oversimplification) And the controversial subject matter is what makes it such effective black humor. So I'm cool with it.

I hate fanfiction (in general), and yet was compelled to read cupcakes due to overwhelming talk in the fandom over it... I found much enjoyment in it (I laughed at it, I blame Johnny the Homicidal Maniac on that reaction). Still hate fanfics though...

Congrats! I'm glad it all worked out. Perhaps you converted a few classmates

Suggestion: Bring up Lauren Faust, references used (Star Trek, Star Wars, Music Man/Simpsons (they might respond better to the latter)), and point out some of the obvious adult humor. As sirshadow said, people will still not listen and criticize, but those people shouldn't be listened to anyway because they are too concerned with protecting their own semblance of self and thus are completely close minded when they are faced with something that can shake that sense of self (especially true of guys). Also... the more passionate you are about something the less likely you are to screw up in front of a crowd. So long as you believe what you are saying, the better off you will be once you get over the initial fright.

Eh, thought about it, but being a statue doesn't interest me... If only he wasn't...he would be hands down the best character to switch places with.

Unicorn because of magic Luna... I like Celestia, but I like Luna's color scheme more. Why? Complete package... Flying + magic? Obvious choice.., oh... and let us not forget the ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE!

My question to you is... Would *you* survive a sonic rainboom as the passenger? Though I admit, that would be totally awesome.

Twilight- Oh hay... I'd just talk to her about science all day. Seriously... I'd probably start with the differences between Equestrian view of the night sky differs from ours. Also... I'd ask her to settle the matter of pony genetics... that is still bothering me... (I'd also ask her what spell brought her here and if the reverse could bring me along) Pinkie- Want to party? But can you not knock me into a wall like your friends? Humans aren't as sturdy as ponies RD - You are a black belt in karate some how... HOW?! Also... want to spar? afterwards we can race! Apple Jack - Got any of that cider? Fluttershy - Have you met my kitty "Mittens"? -points to cat- Rarity - Can you please help my fashion *without* dying my mane a new color? (my fashion sense stinks)

Jim Marshall also passed away this week.

Discord. John DeLancie is awesome.

I have dealt with this in the past, except it was rap music, not club music... What I did was I splurged on some really good headphones that was able to block out the sound and enjoy my own music without killing my own ears. I left him be, and eventually our neighbors filed a formal complaint, which he received a $100 fine. (this was in a dorm setting, and fines were rarely given out, until he made the mistake of playing it during quiet hours because he was high off his *** with his friends) You don't need to tolerate it (entirely), just find a way around it. And if you can't you can skip my intermediary step (which was a mistake in hindsight, since now I'm an audiophile spending hundreds on headphones), and skip to just reporting him and having either the police or whatever enforcement system your place of residence has to get him to stop with fines or injunctions. I never recommend starting things with him. Nothing ever good comes from direct confrontations like that. If you can't discuss it with him calmly and come to a mutual agreement, it is all useless and fighting fire with fire, as SilverSwirl said will only result in hearing loss for the both of you.

Derpy v dash... Who will be triumphant? Epic pic.

You know... You are right, or at least AJ does. At least I think she does...

I think people use what is convenient and what fits. I have referred to Twilight as Twi and TS, neither of which are used in canon. Pinkie was referred to as Pinks by RD as I recall. Though I've never seen anyone refer to her as that in fandom. Apple Jack is AJ. I think that is the only universally accepted nickname in canon and fandom. And I'm sure if Rarity had a known last name someone would have thought of a nickname for her. Dash... I always refer to her as RD personally... Though I could see myself calling her Dashie. Also... Gilda was the only one to call her Dash. However I suspect that if we meet any other of her friends from the Junior Speedsters that they may call her the same.