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"Pinkamena" Is Not a Psychopath: Explaining Sad Pie


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How could anyone look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHy3ZhY9VKs


and see a deluded monster?
Sure, it looks like it, on the surface. But you know the saying. There's something more here.

"My friends don't like my parties and they don't want to be my friends anymore."

Pinkie Pie's existence is defined by how happy she makes the people around her, her friends mean everything to her. Pinkie Pie, unfortunately, has spent so much time giving to those around her that she forgot to keep some for herself. The pony who remembers the birthday of every pony in Ponyville can't remember her own because in her mind, it doesn't matter. She hardly matters; she's happy just giving herself to those around her. 

But this presents a problem, since she's limited in the number of ways she can really communicate with other ponies. While they can talk about politics or their personal hobbies, Pinkie can't do that. When she tries, she often ends up confusing ponies, who often find her random, confusing, or over the top. If she can't talk to people, how else do you get them to know you? How did Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, solve such a complex problem?

She threw a party.

Parties,telling jokes,practical jokes...they're more than just Pinkie's pastime, they're her identity. It's an ultimate form of expression, a telling of who Pinkie really is beyond her ability to communicate via mouth. A party from Pinkie means many things, chief among them being:
I remember you.
I want you to remember me.
I want you to be happy.
I love you.
I want you to love me.

So imagine one day your friends just decide they hate your parties with no warning. When Pinkie Pie says "they don't want to be my friends anymore", she means it. Not liking Pinkie's parties means you don't like Pinkie; you can't like pinkie. It's an essential part of who she is; it's like liking Fluttershy, but hating animals.

But it gets worse.

Pinkie Pie now has no way to even express herself to them anymore, since the biggest part of her life is an offense to them. Parties weren't just their happiness, it was hers as well. Through making other ponies smile, she finds her joy. If she can't do that, what can she do? She'd have to spend every waking moment of the rest of her life drowning in sadness and anger at the friends who rejected her. She'd bottle up all that negative energy until she couldn't contain it anymore, and then she'd completely lose it

In that situation, she might really do something bad, to herself or to others. Pinkie Pie loves her friends, and she would never do anything to hurt them. But she can't keep holding on to all of this negative energy. So,true to her form, stuck between a rock and a hard place, Pinkie finds a third option.

She shuts down.

In an attempt to make the pain go away, she closes herself off to anything that might be a threat to her emotionally. That's what "Pinkamena" is; a last ditch attempt created in order to preserve what's left of Pinkie Pie. In a way, her "insanity" was created to prevent her from going insane; drilling a hole into Pinkie Pie's "volcano" to let the magma out before the whole thing explodes. She recreated a world with her friends in it because of how much it hurts to live without them.

At her party, she harshly rejects her "old" friends not because she hates them, but because seeing them causes her pain. She desperately wants them to be friends, but she thinks they don't want her anymore. When she's told otherwise, she turns back into happy, bouncy, Pinkie Pie in the blink of an eye. Knowing that her friends still need her is all it takes to turn her back to normal. That was always what it took; Pinkamena is the lock, and her friends are the key.

In essence, "Pinkamena" is not some psychotic twisted version of Pinkie; she's not even a bad thing. She's simply a panic button, closing Pinkie off to anything that might hurt her until she's ready to smile again. Pinkie Pie will always be Equestria's happiest pony, but there are sometimes things even she can't just laugh at. When that happens, and she needs extra help, Pinkamena steps in to protect her until her friends can come save her.
Because the softest hearts sometimes bruise the hardest.
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I think that was an intriguing and well-worded analysis.  At first, I didn't know how to take Pinkie Pie.  But I think that "Party of One" was a step towards better understanding and appreciating her.  Because it showed a vulnerability I didn't really know she had, and it ultimately evoked a feeling of empathy.  Purely from a perspective of entertainment, though, that's still an excellent scene.  I know she wouldn't have done her non-rocks and turnips friends any real harm.  The fandom just takes some things and runs and runs and runs with them.

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I think it's all in good fun to mock pinkie like this, I doubt people take it seriously.

I believe even the producers of MLP were poking a stick at this one.

 

Some people may even be able to relate to this in fact, however it clearly isn't to this extent!  :blink:

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Now this is a rant of sense in a pile of brony raving about Pinkamena being a total psycho. What you said is what is the absolute truth and the purpose of the episode Party of One. The sad thing is the dreaded 'Cupcakes' creepypasta fanfiction ruined that episode because of the fan-fic's content and how similarly it seems to connect to Pinkie in the episode. Thus spawned the Cupcakes version of Pinkamena. The truth is, Hasbro had no idea or control of when the fac-fic was made and shown off. What we need to remember is that the fan-fic world is a fan based world and should be separated from the show. Infact, in a fan view, Twilight explains this with the tumblrs in the Jappleack Tumblr, which has the same basic concept. Though in the Jappleack Tumblr, Twilight referred to the show as Equestria Prime.

 

http://ask-jappleack.tumblr.com/post/24833302778

Edited by Sadist the Wanderer
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I think it's all in good fun to mock pinkie like this, I doubt people take it seriously.

I believe even the producers of MLP were poking a stick at this one.

 

Some people may even be able to relate to this in fact, however it clearly isn't to this extent!  :blink:

I think the problems of Pinkamena arise not from the people who like Cupcakes or the like, but people who like Pinkie or even the shows Pinkamena (which is just either Party of One or any time she is seriously upset) & have to wade through Cupcakes & Smile HD & stuff just to find the love & care the shows Pinkamena can give. Personally I loved hearing Cupcakes & watching Smile HD but at the same time I feel there is almost too much of it, causing this rift between fans who want to enjoy one kind of Pinkamena against the people who want to enjoy another type of Pinkamena. Both see nothing wrong with their personal views, but it is usually the other half that becomes a problem, especially people who see Pinkamena from the show as the "true" Pinkamena, not the Cupcakes/Smile HD version, since that version is quite... Well, if you have seen/heard of anything related to that version you know how she is...

Edited by KokuraiNoSenshi
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No one said she was. It is just fun to look at it that way sometimes, as an artistic venue. Honestly I'd be suprised if someone did think she was, the "Pinkamena" personality is something the fans made to have fun with. "Sometimes it's just really fun to be scared" or something along those lines. We know Pinkie, we don't believe she's anything like that.

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I've not met anyone who actually interpreted Pinkamena's transformation as evil or psychopathic. It reminds me of Celestia: watching the first two episodes (and especially the flashbacks in season four, but that's beside the point) makes it clear that Celestia sealed Nightmare Moon in the moon for Equestria's own good. But isn't it fun to imagine she did it out of malicious intent instead? We know it's not true, but it's a fun alternate fantasy--even if it's one that doesn't exactly correlate with the show.

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This is SO well said, I love it!! :D Pinkie has always been my favorite because I relate to her the most. I just recently started becoming more interested in the Pinkamena side of her as well, and now I feel even more connected to her.

 

I've never seen Pinkamena as "evil," just a little crazy. But now that I think about it, I think this makes her so much more real. Even the happiest of ponies can't be happy all the time, especially when much of their happiness comes from making others happy.

 

I don't think I can say much else, you said everything quite well. Bravo!!  :)

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Cupcakes is the first mlp relates thing I ever experienced. I liked it and found it novel that cute ponies would go psycho on eachother. however now that I have actually watched the whole thing years after that introduction I love pinkie even more then the parody of her that started my interest.

 

She is far from stable and puts her hoof in her mouth but she means well and is a caring individual whose sole reason for getting up in the morning is getting her friends to smile. Her energy and mania are her ways of coping as well as giving warmth and happiness to others. That is why she is my favorite now.

 

 

So crazy homicidal Pinkie may of been my first peek at her, but the real her is what I love most.

Edited by Buck Testa
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@,Good to see someone combating the delusion of Pinkamena=Killer/Monster. In my opinion it is a shame such needed to be written in the first place.  :maud:

 

While i have my own personal view on Pinkamena that is not too far from your interpretation of Pinkamena -- non the less outstanding job.  :maud:

 

That is all i have to say on this,and Pinkamena Diana Pie thanks you from beyond.  :maud:

Edited by Pinkamena-Pills
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How could anyone look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHy3ZhY9VKs

and see a deluded monster?

Sure, it looks like it, on the surface. But you know the saying. There's something more here.

 

"My friends don't like my parties and they don't want to be my friends anymore."

 

Pinkie Pie's existence is defined by how happy she makes the people around her, her friends mean everything to her. Pinkie Pie, unfortunately, has spent so much time giving to those around her that she forgot to keep some for herself. The pony who remembers the birthday of every pony in Ponyville can't remember her own because in her mind, it doesn't matter. She hardly matters; she's happy just giving herself to those around her. 

 

But this presents a problem, since she's limited in the number of ways she can really communicate with other ponies. While they can talk about politics or their personal hobbies, Pinkie can't do that. When she tries, she often ends up confusing ponies, who often find her random, confusing, or over the top. If she can't talk to people, how else do you get them to know you? How did Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, solve such a complex problem?

 

She threw a party.

 

Parties,telling jokes,practical jokes...they're more than just Pinkie's pastime, they're her identity. It's an ultimate form of expression, a telling of who Pinkie really is beyond her ability to communicate via mouth. A party from Pinkie means many things, chief among them being:

I remember you.

I want you to remember me.

I want you to be happy.

I love you.

I want you to love me.

 

So imagine one day your friends just decide they hate your parties with no warning. When Pinkie Pie says "they don't want to be my friends anymore", she means it. Not liking Pinkie's parties means you don't like Pinkie; you can't like pinkie. It's an essential part of who she is; it's like liking Fluttershy, but hating animals.

 

But it gets worse.

 

Pinkie Pie now has no way to even express herself to them anymore, since the biggest part of her life is an offense to them. Parties weren't just their happiness, it was hers as well. Through making other ponies smile, she finds her joy. If she can't do that, what can she do? She'd have to spend every waking moment of the rest of her life drowning in sadness and anger at the friends who rejected her. She'd bottle up all that negative energy until she couldn't contain it anymore, and then she'd completely lose it

 

In that situation, she might really do something bad, to herself or to others. Pinkie Pie loves her friends, and she would never do anything to hurt them. But she can't keep holding on to all of this negative energy. So,true to her form, stuck between a rock and a hard place, Pinkie finds a third option.

 

She shuts down.

 

In an attempt to make the pain go away, she closes herself off to anything that might be a threat to her emotionally. That's what "Pinkamena" is; a last ditch attempt created in order to preserve what's left of Pinkie Pie. In a way, her "insanity" was created to prevent her from going insane; drilling a hole into Pinkie Pie's "volcano" to let the magma out before the whole thing explodes. She recreated a world with her friends in it because of how much it hurts to live without them.

 

At her party, she harshly rejects her "old" friends not because she hates them, but because seeing them causes her pain. She desperately wants them to be friends, but she thinks they don't want her anymore. When she's told otherwise, she turns back into happy, bouncy, Pinkie Pie in the blink of an eye. Knowing that her friends still need her is all it takes to turn her back to normal. That was always what it took; Pinkamena is the lock, and her friends are the key.

 

In essence, "Pinkamena" is not some psychotic twisted version of Pinkie; she's not even a bad thing. She's simply a panic button, closing Pinkie off to anything that might hurt her until she's ready to smile again. Pinkie Pie will always be Equestria's happiest pony, but there are sometimes things even she can't just laugh at. When that happens, and she needs extra help, Pinkamena steps in to protect her until her friends can come save her.

Because the softest hearts sometimes bruise the hardest.

I agree with this completely. Maybe because Pinkie's also my favorite character and I'm a little biased.

 

But I feel like this happened to me once before when someone tried to explain a character to me.

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Thanks to everyone that commented. I made this because I personally feel this is one of the most misinterpreted scenes in MLP. It's one of the most defining moments in the show for Pinkie, but not a lot of people put stake into it; they either laugh at it or find it disturbing. I was in the latter. Watching it the second time, I found something odd.It wasn't as funny, it was just sad. So I tried to look at it from Pinkie's point of view, stripping away all of the background elements and just focusing on the character. I came up with this.

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I never thought of Pinkie's breakdown in "Party of One" as psychopathic (i.e., she suddenly lacked empathy) -- but I do consider it a psychotic episode, as she clearly lost touch with reality. She's talking to inanimate objects and pretending to have a private party in a social setting that simply does not exist.

 

Fans have forced psychopathy onto Pinkie's breakdown, whether out of confusion (psychopathy and psychosis are not the same) or for the sake of grimdark.

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I don't really see "psychopath" in this scene either, to be honest. I see that version of Pinkie as just fanon, and it can be fun in fanon, but it's not what's going on in the show. The way I see "Pinkamena", and also the reason I continue calling this version of Pinkie by her full name, is that it's a coping mechanism; when Pinkie is faced with a situation when she has failed to make her friends happy, or is unable to make them happy, she reverts back to her foalhood state before she saw the rainboom and got her cutie mark. Her hair deflates and her colour fades slightly, just like she was back then, before she discovered her talent for making ponies happy

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I agree. While its fun to parody and use Pinkie's demented image here to portray her as some murderous and insane sociopath, her motives and character tell a far different story.

 

First, yes Pinkie here succumbed to despair. But she's not despairing in a malicious or corrupted way. She is psychotic in the sense that she's not behaving normally or as a regular person should, but not in some Norman Bates Psycho way where she's completely lost a grip on her sanity. As we see at the end of the episode, she is perfectly able to regain a mental grip.

 

Here, Pinkie is desperately trying to restore what makes her happy - who she is and making others happy. When that suddenly disappeared for her, she felt, how we say, out of her element, and felt a need to try and restore it, even if it meant through extreme and odd means living in a fantasy that wasn't real. Its a cry for help and a futile fix in many ways, and to some extent we see it play out again in Pinkie Pride, although there she's far more composed.

 

You might liken it to what celebrities do when they feel they have lost touch - they try and do extreme and odd things to get attention and drive others away in the hopes that somehow everything will get better.

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  • 2 years later...

I can agree to this well said post. It can agree because there are many people who feel the same way. The 'creepypasta' wiki has been ruining, and fans too. They assume some things, and dig deep when it could have just remained buried treasure for those worthy, for those who would think a nice way of the 'theory'. Cupcakes changed my life, not because of the things "Pinkamena" did, but the way they described it. The way they felt like Pinkie does things. And it made me disappointed at the fact they had their right minds to change Pinkie PIE! >:(

This may be a little late... But I really wanted to get my opinion out there... No matter the date this was posted. 

Oh wow, what I wrote above was six-hundred seventy one characters!

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