Psychological Analyses Entry Three: Rarity

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

Psychological Analyses Series Links:

1. Fluttershy

2. Applejack

4. Rainbow Dash

5. Pinkie Pie

 

Rarity, like all good things, is an enigma wrapped in a shell of mystery covered by a veil of uncertainty. On the surface she appears shallow, empty-headed, caring only for her dresses, makeup, and beauty. She prefers form over function in all things, because what use is something if it doesn't look good doing what it is designed to do? Peel away the layers, and at first that shallow label seems to stick. She is a drama queen by any definition, after all, boisterous and refined, overacting at the drop of a hat--and believe me, when Rarity is around, there are many hats to be dropped. But as the layers continue to fall, more is revealed. It is often said that Rarity doesn't actually uphold the Element of Generosity, that she is too greedy and self-absorbed to ever care about others. But is that true?

 

No. No it is not.

 

To understand Rarity, we must examine what makes her tick, and to do that we must examine her origins. As confirmed in Sweet and Elite, Rarity was in fact born in Ponyville, not elsewhere. She has since lived her entire life in Ponyville, growing up, learning her trade, and otherwise being a Ponyvillian. This means her accent and mannerisms, the way in which she holds herself and speaks, are fake, crafted by Rarity herself to give her a sense of sophistication beyond her meager origins. But why?

 

It most probably had to do with a difficult foalhood. Rarity has never been content with the sort of life that Ponyvillians live. Though it is difficult to tell based upon the scant moment or two of interaction from Sisterhooves Social, I imagine Rarity's parents are amongst the most rustic, down to earth ponies they can be, nothing like the Unicorns of Canterlot. They're probably farmers, dairy farmers perhaps given the Wisconsin-esque accent, the sort of occupation that would keep them both busy and out of sight--possibly even explaining why Sweetie Belle often stays with her sister at the Carousel Boutique instead of living at home. These origins would feel confining, like a steel cage stifling the imagination and creativity that Rarity bursts with every day. Where she initially stumbled across the idea of nobility is something I leave up to speculation. It could be she simply read many tales of adventure and regality when she was a child. Maybe she was even considered "Daddy's little princess." Whatever the case, she took it upon herself to craft a beautiful persona, one she likely had to practice daily in order to master it. We see her accent slipping during the events of her Cutie Mark story, after all.

 

As an adult, her crafted persona has become so much a part of her that separating it from the mare she is underneath would be like trying to remove a steel plate that has been welded and fused onto a wall: it cannot be done. She may have donned a mask as a child, but she became the mask as an adult. She carries herself with grace and sophistication, and desires strongly, more than anything else, to become a part of the Canterlot elite. As a hopeless romantic she sees herself eventually wedding a member of that nobility, hence her desires to meet and mingle with Prince Blueblood. I imagine the way in which he thoroughly crushed her expectations left her far more heartbroken than it often appears she is on the show. This may have contributed to why she became a bit less nice and a bit more quick to anger during the second season. (As an in-universe explanation, of course--the real explanation is that Lauren Faust leaving the show resulted in a bit less consistent characterization for her.) Of course, her dreams weren't crushed entirely, and neither was her spirit.

 

Her persona does give her some failings however. She can be far too frou-frou, as Applejack would put it, often wasting time or effort trying to make something look beautiful in a circumstance where it would be better to just let things be. Of course that also makes it easy to underestimate the power of her wits. A Dog and Pony Show demonstrated her ability to think on her hooves faster than almost anypony amongst the Mane Six save for Pinkie Pie, and more than once she has proved she can fight with the best of them as well if she needs to. Her vanity and adoration for gems can lead to her expressing serious moments of greed and avarice. Even her most egregious example of this though, her wresting the fire ruby from Spike during Secret of My Excess, is understandable and explainable, given that she actually treasures the gem. She wears it around her neck, probably more often than we see on the show too, and even during the moments when she switched on her charm, we can see her fighting with herself before she gives in to her instincts.

 

Her largest failing, the tendency to become self-absorbed, is perfectly understandable because, like any artist, she has a deep desire to be appreciated. She wants her works to be loved. Listen to the desperation in her voice when she demands Fluttershy explain how she feels about the dress Rarity designed. Ask any writer, any painter, poet, sculptor, graphics designer, editorial blogger, anyone who creates anything at all: why bother creating if you don't receive feedback? A lack of feedback, a lack of appreciation is the largest killer of creativity. For Rarity, whom creativity is her very lifeblood, the lack of appreciation could quite literally kill her. Thus it is only natural that she becomes a bit self-absorbed at times. Her display in Sonic Rainboom was probably the most egregious, but considering how beautiful those wings were and just how much more adoration she was gaining with them, it is no wonder she made the mistake of leaping into the contest at the last minute. She clearly felt horribly guilty about this too, and I suspect that behind the scenes there were a great many discussions between her and Rainbow Dash that she went through to make amends.

 

Of course her desire for adoration can also lead to strong amounts of jealousy. She had hoped that Photo Finish would help her soar to new heights in acceptance after her successes with dresses with Hoity Toity and Sapphire Shores, but instead she saw her closest friend Fluttershy become the star. But even then, she didn't allow her envy cause her to stand in the way of what she believed her friend desired. She employed her generous nature to try and win over the crowd after Twilight helped Fluttershy embarrass herself, because Rarity had no idea the circumstances were intentional. Were Rarity the greedy soul that many claim her to be, she wouldn't have bailed her friend out of that situation.

 

Because of her lifelong dream to become a part of the nobility, it only makes sense that she finally took advantage of the opportunity when it finally surfaced during Sweet and Elite. Prior till then, her dream had always been just a tad out of reach, inaccessible, despite her connections to the Princess. Her grand opportunity to make Canterlot connections was finally within her grasp, so she took to it as much as she could. Even during the events of the episode she clearly shows again and again she regrets some of the things she's doing. She wants to be good to her friends but she also doesn't want to waste the opportunities in front of her. Her mistake, and my displeasure with the resolution of the episode, was that she managed to successfully get away with lying to and misleading her friends. She deserved a bit more retribution for her lies than she received in the episode. Still, in the end she did recall where she came from and what was most important in her life.

 

But how does all of this tie into her Element of Generosity? Where does that come in? As always it begins with the Sonic Rainboom and her Cutie Mark story. Her story in particular carries a few fantastical bits that leave me a little suspicious and confused. Why, of all things, did her gem finding spell go off all of a sudden and carry her who knows how far across Equestria just so she could be present when the Rainboom split open a rock full of fantastic gemstones? Seems a little too convenient, especially since it was the one thing she needed in order to make the costumes she had crafted for the school play dreamy instead of dreary. Once again I find myself pointing the finger at our chessmaster of a Princess.

 

Generosity is not just about giving freely in the form of monetary donations or food. It is a way of life. For Rarity, her generosity is shared primarily in how she majestically creates her fabulous dresses, suits, and other fancy clothing. Like any artist, she gives freely to the world with her creativity, whether it is in the form of walking down Main Street Ponyville in a dazzling display of debonair delight with her shining attitudes towards all, or the ways in which she will give freely whenever anyone asks. She spent a great deal of time and far more stress than she ever should have had to expend creating the dresses for the Gala, after all, and she finds it extremely difficult to say no when someone wants something of her. She showed this especially during Sweet and Elite--watch how she tries to get away from the Canterlot ponies so she can work on Twilight's dress, only to give in when they beg. It is her very way of life. And, after all, one cannot be generous without having something to give first. She has to obtain what she can give away before she can give it away.

 

Why does this connect to her gemstones? The magic. Specifically, the magic that I believe rests within the gemstones themselves. It is a common fantasy trope that gemstones are used to channel or store magical energy, often being used as a focus for a spell. They can be enchanted in rings or amulets, carrying spells to deploy at will--I imagine Twilight uses this feature all the time. Gemstones in Equestria are far too common to be as valuable as they are in our world. They exist in the ground precut, shining and sparkling the moment the dirt is uncovered. If they were as valuable to Equestrians as they are to us, Rarity would be one of the richest ponies in all of Equestria. Since she isn't, she collects them for another purpose, besides the fact they can look damned good on a dress when used properly. Though she is naturally creative with her designs, I suspect she uses the magic of the gemstones to enhance said creativity, magnify it to new heights. This is why she tends to speckle every design she creates with one form of gemstone or another, because it allows her to channel said magic into the design. This isn't her taking advantage of magic to create something she wouldn't otherwise have of course. All she is doing is using the magic to enhance what she is already capable of. Her Cutie Mark, therefore, defines a multitude of talents all at once, from her gem-finding, to her use of the gems, to her clothesmaking abilities.

 

One of the things I suspect about Rarity is that deep down, she wants to be loved for more than what she presents to the world. She has received plent of shallow attention from stallions and certainly has no problem using her beauty, wit, and charm to her advantage when she can, but truth is she likely is not all that successful in her romantic endeavors because few desire to see past the surface. If there is one thing she likely doesn't have much of, besides possibly in the form of her friendship with Fluttershy, is someone to listen to her, honestly and truly, and care about what she has to say. Like anyone, she has her need to vent, her need to express herself. Perhaps this is part of why she was so enraged when Sweetie Belle published her diary. Of course that sort of trope is fairly common, but I imagine for Rarity especially she pours some deeply personal thoughts into that diary she can't share with anyone else because no one else wants to listen to her, or so she believes at least.

 

Her relationship with Spike is the trickiest affair of them all. Determining the nature of how she feels about Spike, deep in her heart, is extremely difficult. The G-rated nature of the show and the moral and ethical quandaries surrounding an interspecies relationship--nevermind the "grody" factor that would certainly play into anything the writers deal with--prevent the show from examining the situation too deeply. Worse, the relationship has an extra factor, that of the fact that Rarity is an adult while Spike is a child. Rarity, being the intelligent mare that she is, likely saw through Spike's adoration from the moment she met him. The events of Secret of My Excess make it clear to me that she does care about him, fairly deeply at that, but I don't think she loves him romantically. When they were falling to their deaths, her crying and nodding was her romantic nature causing her to be swept up in the moment, and even there all she is doing is acknowledging that she knows about Spike's crush. She considers his crush cute and thinks highly of him, but I suspect she views their relationship as much more akin to that of a big sister to a little brother, or perhaps aunt to nephew. As such, she loves him platonically. The depth of that love was unclear until Dragon Quest, but she made it obvious there that she would do anything to make sure he's safe. Is it possible that in the future their love might blossom into a full relationship? That really depends upon whether or not Spike would become an adult before Rarity passes away. To be honest, I don't think it ever would. Spike may be crushing on her for now, but when he grows up said love will pass more into a close, high quality friendship.

 

Of course, Rarity cares deeply about Sweetie Belle as well. She probably does not see her sister as often as either of them might like. The nature of that relationship is difficult to clarify. Sisterhooves Social made it clear that the two of them do not often share the same interests, but at the same time Sweetie Belle obviously looks up to her successful sister, a bit too much for poor Rarity at times. For Rarity, Sweetie Belle's antics can be frustrating when she's trying to concentrate, but she loves to spend time with Sweetie Belle when she gets the chance. I imagine Rarity is also grateful to Sweetie Belle for allowing her to become closer friends with Applejack thanks to their connection through the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

 

Rarity, as a character, is often maligned and insulted in ways I feel are unfair to her. She has more depth and is much more generous than people often accredit her for. One of the things I'd like to see done in Season Three is to reveal more of her background, give us a taste of what her childhood was like. I also wouldn't mind some definite answers on the Rarity/Spike relationship. Most importantly though, I just want to see more of Rarity. She is too fun a character to leave her behind and in the background during Season Three. She needs more time to shine, more time to sparkle. She's too good a character to be given any other treatment.

Edited May 24, 2012 by Kyronea Tich

[Dave247 568]

Very good as usual Kyronea, only thing I can think of adding is that I agree that Rarity just stumbling across the gems is a bit cliché but and to me it's because the writers couldn't think of anything else to do with her but If you think about it that is how her gem finding spell works and it makes sense that the spell would just suddenly work on it's own one day otherwise how else would she have gotten her cuite mark?

The Cute Mark Chronicles was primarily about how they got their cutie marks and didn't really tie into their elements much less for some of the mane 6 like Rarity so it can't always be used to explain things especially considering how short they are. For Rarity it seems it is the least useful out of all the 6 because most of what was shown was already known about her.

[Jokuc 8,173]

Wow I'm so not gonna read this on my phone.. Looks very good though, can't wait to read it when I get home :3

[GrooveBroove 680]

Very Good Analysis indeed.

I definietly agree with your closing words.

 

Rarity is seen to much for the outside and never looked at much deeper than that.

Which leads to a lot of the negativity around her from fans of the show.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

Looks like I've got some thinking to do.

[Titan Rising 2,156]

I've said it before. It's unfortunate for Rarity with respect to the fans of the show that generosity is such an ambiguous word. Same can be said for Fluttershy's kindness and Rainbow Dash's loyalty to some extent. For that reason more people are bound to assume that unless Fluttershy and Rarity allow everyone to walk all over them then they don't live up to their elements.

 

To say Rarity does not live up to her element is to say that she's greedy.

 

greed/grēd/

 

Noun: Intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food.

 

 

 

Two examples people love to bring up with respect to her greed are her catching the bouquet of flowers and "manipulating" spike into giving her his gemstone. If we're going by this definition of greed, then think for a minute - is it greedy to participate in trying to catch the flowers thrown by Cadence? Is it greedy to tell someone you admire something and imply you'd want it (even if you knew they would give it to you)? She even looked like she was going to share the flowers after she caught them and ultimately she did not force Spike to give her the gem or imply that she would not like him if he didn't.

 

Well that's my two cents, never thought I would actually type out a paragraph on the psychology of a cartoon but there you go.

[Dreadmallon 353]

Wow. My opinion on Rarity has totally changed...

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

Very good as usual Kyronea, only thing I can think of adding is that I agree that Rarity just stumbling across the gems is a bit cliché but and to me it's because the writers couldn't think of anything else to do with her but If you think about it that is how her gem finding spell works and it makes sense that the spell would just suddenly work on it's own one day otherwise how else would she have gotten her cuite mark?

The Cute Mark Chronicles was primarily about how they got their cutie marks and didn't really tie into their elements much less for some of the mane 6 like Rarity so it can't always be used to explain things especially considering how short they are. For Rarity it seems it is the least useful out of all the 6 because most of what was shown was already known about her.

 

I wouldn't necessarily say it's the writers being lazy so much as it is them invoking an aura of mystery about the whole affair. I will provide more evidence as I examine the remaining three of the Mane Six, but I feel very strongly that Rarity's gem finding spell went off when it did because Princess Celestia intentionally triggered it. It hadn't shown any such strength before or since, so like the Sonic Rainboom itself it was oddly timed.

 

But yes, the whole gemstone thing had to be shoehorned into her Cutie Mark story because her Cutie Mark is three gems. If her Cutie Mark didn't have something to do with her gem-finding spell, then why would it be three gems? If it was just her dressmaking talents the Cutie Mark could just as easily be a loom and thread, or perhaps a sewing needle, knitting needles and a ball of yarn, that kind of thing.

 

Very Good Analysis indeed.

I definietly agree with your closing words.

 

Rarity is seen to much for the outside and never looked at much deeper than that.

Which leads to a lot of the negativity around her from fans of the show.

 

She is, and it angers me every single time I see it because it's as if they set her to a higher standard. If she shows so much as a single bit of desire for something, she's instantly labeled as being not generous and not living up to her element, which is just silly. It'd be like saying Pinkie wasn't the Element of Laughter if she didn't laugh in every single sentence she spoke, or Twilight isn't the Element of Magic if she so much as flubs a single spell.

 

Looks like I've got some thinking to do.

 

Well, I'm glad I helped you reconsider some things. You don't have to, of course...my word isn't law...but I'm glad I gave you food for thought.

 

I've said it before. It's unfortunate for Rarity with respect to the fans of the show that generosity is such an ambiguous word. Same can be said for Fluttershy's kindness and Rainbow Dash's loyalty to some extent. For that reason more people are bound to assume that unless Fluttershy and Rarity allow everyone to walk all over them then they don't live up to their elements.

 

To say Rarity does not live up to her element is to say that she's greedy.

 

greed/grēd/

 

 

Noun: Intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food.

 

 

 

Two examples people love to bring up with respect to her greed are her catching the bouquet of flowers and "manipulating" spike into giving her his gemstone. If we're going by this definition of greed, then think for a minute - is it greedy to participate in trying to catch the flowers thrown by Cadence? Is it greedy to tell someone you admire something and imply you'd want it (even if you knew they would give it to you)? She even looked like she was going to share the flowers after she caught them and ultimately she did not force Spike to give her the gem or imply that she would not like him if he didn't.

 

Well that's my two cents, never thought I would actually type out a paragraph on the psychology of a cartoon but there you go.

 

Yes, exactly! As I said in the analysis, Rarity can't give something away that she doesn't have. She can't live like a hobo, after all, and still be able to give to everyone. She's allowed her own bit of desire from time to time. It's not as if she's perfect. She's only, for lack of a better word, human. (I don't want to say a pony here because it doesn't have the same feeling of impact.)

 

One other thing I'd like to point out is the oddity with Sweetie Belle's accent. Sweetie Belle sounds nothing like their parents either, and unlike Rarity sounds more like a typical Ponyvillian. It actually has me invoking a bit of headcanon in the form of Sweetie Belle helping Rarity with vocal training. Since Sweetie Belle has shown talent for singing beyond that of the musical magic everypony seems able to invoke, she just might be the one who helps Rarity train away the old dairy farmer accent. This would add even more to her character, in a way, since it helps bring Rarity and Sweetie Belle a bit closer together.

 

Alternatively Rarity trained Sweetie Belle, but that doesn’t seem to have as much of an impact, and if she did that why wouldn’t she train Sweetie Belle to sound just like her instead of just like everypony else in Ponyville? Rarity has shown before she would happily make Sweetie Belle do things the way she wants if she had her way.

 

Another question I’ve always wondered in my mind about is, how did she manage to come into ownership of Carousel Boutique? That’s probably quite expensive yet she’s never said anything about have a mortgage to pay off. Plenty of potential there to explore.

[Titan Rising 2,156]

Yea she can't give what she doesn't have, but even beyond that I think people have this negative connotation with people pursuing their own goals or dreams/being successful and calling them greedy because of it. Living beyond your means could be considered greedy but that's getting into a completely other topic... Rarity has a passion for making her outfits and dreams of being in high society because she wants her dresses to be admired by the highest standard of critics - and thus (like you said) she probably developed the attitude and accent. It's where her passion leads her, I don't get the impression that Rarity actually cares about money or any kind of physical possessions at all, she just wants to be well known for what she does

 

It's interesting to me how they gave all the elements to characters who they would really normally highly conflict with too. You know, like normally you would think that someone like Rarity would be greedy/arrogant, a shy person like Fluttershy would normally be more prone to depression/have a negative outlook on people, Rainbow Dash would be smug because of her abilities and shun her friends etc.. So I think just because of her status in the show - the way she talks and reminds you of a person in high society - she kind of also gets a negative stigma from that as well.

 

I really liked all of your speculation on Rarity's voice and stuff too, it could make for a good episode if they really wanted. I'm not sure if they'll get into the price of the carousel boutique because then they'd have to explain how every pony got the money to get where they live too I would think.

[Dizzy Ditzy Doo! 1,120]

This has been an eye opener of a read thus far, and my faith in Rarity has thus, improved! I praise your post Kyronea! Very commendable!

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

One of the things I'd like to see done in Season Three is to reveal more of her background, give us a taste of what her childhood was like.

 

We definitely need more of Rarity in season 3. Seeing how more of Twilight's background was revealed, I suspect all of the Mane 6's backgrounds will be revealed, too.

 

Rarity, as a character, is often maligned and insulted in ways I feel are unfair to her. She has more depth and is much more generous than people often accredit her for.

 

Admittedly, I've sometimes found Rarity's character to be confusing at times, probably because 1) I admire her to the point where it starts getting "romantic", so to speak, and 2) Whenever she does fulfill those "stereotypical dealings" on her part, I have to go out of my way to calm myself down somehow because the character inconsistency in this show really can't be done, especially with a rather volatile character that doesn't represent shallowness at all... but I suppose that's what you get when you create a highly complex character. In fact, I think Rarity may be the most complex character out of all the Mane 6.

 

I also wouldn't mind some definite answers on the Rarity/Spike relationship.

 

I'm still sticking by my prediction that in Season 3, everybody will be slightly older (perhaps aging a year or two) and as a result, they could potentially have more complex personalities stemming from their current personalities. Ergo, for Valentine's Day, we may see some love drama between Spike and Rarity, at long last I hope.

 

Most importantly though, I just want to see more of Rarity. She is too fun a character to leave her behind and in the background during Season Three. She needs more time to shine, more time to sparkle. She's too good a character to be given any other treatment.

 

I definitely agree with the bold. She needs more time to sparkle, which would effectively rid most, if not all, negative views towards her. She just hasn't appeared too much to be thought of much, but when she does, those "negative viewpoints" are bound to show up more than when another member of the Mane 6 receives the spotlight.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I somewhat get jealous when Rarity attempts to "seduce" stallions or compliment them. Something I may grow out of eventually, but, wow. You know a character's good when they start making you jelly!

 

But yes, the whole gemstone thing had to be shoehorned into her Cutie Mark story because her Cutie Mark is three gems. If her Cutie Mark didn't have something to do with her gem-finding spell, then why would it be three gems? If it was just her dressmaking talents the Cutie Mark could just as easily be a loom and thread, or perhaps a sewing needle, knitting needles and a ball of yarn, that kind of thing.

 

Actually, her special talent is bedazzling the shit out of everything.

 

It's one thing to be a good dressmaker, but to carry about your profession and talent (I suppose) as excellent as her is another level entirely; this is evidenced by Hoity Toity going off the edge upon seeing her (original) Gala dresses and Rarity's designs on just about everything being consistently praised. "Green Isn't Your Color" was a prime example of how Rarity's popularity was getting a good beatdown and yet her couture was still wonderfully elegant (a "shiny" hat, more specifically).

 

Another question I’ve always wondered in my mind about is, how did she manage to come into ownership of Carousel Boutique? That’s probably quite expensive yet she’s never said anything about have a mortgage to pay off. Plenty of potential there to explore.

 

Incidentally, my business project is called "Carousel Boutique". A wonderful idea, admittedly!

 

The Boutique is a rather... interesting shape, so to speak. The spherical base and overall pavilion-ish feel to it makes me inclined to believe that she herself funded the entire project, however.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Emperor Belichick

[Shankveld 4,949]

I believe this is a discredit to how amazing and wonderful Rarity actually is ~

[Yellow Diamond 7,569]

I believe this is a discredit to how amazing and wonderful Rarity actually is ~

 

I don't quite understand. Kyronea wrote quite positively about Rarity. There isn't much discrediting going on here with respect to the central essay.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

I don't quite understand. Kyronea wrote quite positively about Rarity. There isn't much discrediting going on here with respect to the central essay.

 

I think Shankveld believes that Rarity is better than what Kyronea wrote about her...

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

Yea she can't give what she doesn't have, but even beyond that I think people have this negative connotation with people pursuing their own goals or dreams/being successful and calling them greedy because of it. Living beyond your means could be considered greedy but that's getting into a completely other topic... Rarity has a passion for making her outfits and dreams of being in high society because she wants her dresses to be admired by the highest standard of critics - and thus (like you said) she probably developed the attitude and accent. It's where her passion leads her, I don't get the impression that Rarity actually cares about money or any kind of physical possessions at all, she just wants to be well known for what she does

Well, I wouldn't quite say that Rarity has absolutely no desire for money or other physical possessions...she likes the trappings of high society as much as the position itself. But for the most part, yes, I will agree that her passions are to create and be appreciated for that creativity.

 

It's interesting to me how they gave all the elements to characters who they would really normally highly conflict with too. You know, like normally you would think that someone like Rarity would be greedy/arrogant, a shy person like Fluttershy would normally be more prone to depression/have a negative outlook on people, Rainbow Dash would be smug because of her abilities and shun her friends etc.. So I think just because of her status in the show - the way she talks and reminds you of a person in high society - she kind of also gets a negative stigma from that as well.

 

I have seen others speculate that the Mane Six represent the Elements of Harmony they do not because they are the best living examples of those virtues, but because the Element represents that which is hardest for them to stick to.

 

However, I prefer to think it's because real people are not two dimensional stereotypes. Everyone has significant shades of depth to them, their experiences shaping their lives.

 

I really liked all of your speculation on Rarity's voice and stuff too, it could make for a good episode if they really wanted. I'm not sure if they'll get into the price of the carousel boutique because then they'd have to explain how every pony got the money to get where they live too I would think.

 

I would love to see an episode that explores Rarity's noble desires more deeply, but yes you're right about the issue when it comes to jobs.

 

Admittedly, I've sometimes found Rarity's character to be confusing at times, probably because 1) I admire her to the point where it starts getting "romantic", so to speak, and 2) Whenever she does fulfill those "stereotypical dealings" on her part, I have to go out of my way to calm myself down somehow because the character inconsistency in this show really can't be done, especially with a rather volatile character that doesn't represent shallowness at all... but I suppose that's what you get when you create a highly complex character. In fact, I think Rarity may be the most complex character out of all the Mane 6.

 

Rarity is just as confusing to me, to tell you the truth. It's difficult for me to understand her perspective at least from some angles. From others her behavior, such as her desire to have her artistic abilities appreciated and receive feedback, make perfect sense. I'm not quite sure I would argue that Rarity is the most complex character of the Mane Six, but that's only because I feel like Pinkie Pie may have even more complexity. Both appear simple on the surface, but aren't what they appear to be when you peer underneath.

 

I'm still sticking by my prediction that in Season 3, everybody will be slightly older (perhaps aging a year or two) and as a result, they could potentially have more complex personalities stemming from their current personalities. Ergo, for Valentine's Day, we may see some love drama between Spike and Rarity, at long last I hope.

 

That would be quite interesting to see everyone age up a couple of years, as it were, though it would strain plausibility on some things, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders still being blank flanks. My personal preference when it comes to the Rarity Spike relationship is that it conclude with their relationship being just a friendship, though.

 

I definitely agree with the bold. She needs more time to sparkle, which would effectively rid most, if not all, negative views towards her. She just hasn't appeared too much to be thought of much, but when she does, those "negative viewpoints" are bound to show up more than when another member of the Mane 6 receives the spotlight.

 

 

I would dearly love to see more episodes about her to show us her good side. Ponyville Confidential, for example, while a funny episode, also left me feeling rather disappointed with Rarity's behavior because she really didn't do anything justifiable in that episode. I tried to lend it a form of justification in my analysis, but I admit I was reaching pretty far to try and make that work.

 

Actually, her special talent is bedazzling the shit out of everything.

 

It's one thing to be a good dressmaker, but to carry about your profession and talent (I suppose) as excellent as her is another level entirely; this is evidenced by Hoity Toity going off the edge upon seeing her (original) Gala dresses and Rarity's designs on just about everything being consistently praised. "Green Isn't Your Color" was a prime example of how Rarity's popularity was getting a good beatdown and yet her couture was still wonderfully elegant (a "shiny" hat, more specifically).

 

 

Her special talent is indeed still up for debate. I'm not about to declare that my explanation for it is canon anymore than any other explanation.

 

But this is why I like to say she uses magic to enhance her creativity. She has a talent for using the gemstones the way she wants to use them, so all she is doing is making use of a tool at her disposal.

 

Incidentally, my business project is called "Carousel Boutique". A wonderful idea, admittedly!

 

The Boutique is a rather... interesting shape, so to speak. The spherical base and overall pavilion-ish feel to it makes me inclined to believe that she herself funded the entire project, however.

 

Honestly to me it looks like she may have converted an old circus tent or some other similar kind of building into a house. I believe she fully funded it herself as well--the question is, where did she get the money? Was it money she earned herself through years and years of hard work? Did she inherit some or all of the money from a relative? Or is there some other explanation?

 

I believe this is a discredit to how amazing and wonderful Rarity actually is ~

 

Perhaps you could explain why you feel that way, as I was essentially nothing but positive about Rarity. Yes, I pointed out faults, but every character has their faults. I would like to hear your thoughts in more detail. Please. Edited May 14, 2012 by Kyronea Tich

[Chantilly Angel 52]

I think Shankveld believes that Rarity is better than what Kyronea wrote about her...

 

I think he described her perfectly. He saw what I see in her as a fan.

 

Then again I would say that...

Edited May 17, 2012 by Chantilly Angel