Mane 6 - Unappreciated Facts

[Comet Tail 808]

So, originally I was going to make 2 threads, one about Rarity's math and another about Twilight's affinity for animals. But now I figured I'd just make a thread about these little things we don't often think about the characters.

 

Like, when I say "Twilight Sparkle" -

 

 

We think of an adorkable bookworm, she has telescopes, she knows calculus, she at least has OCD, if not other things like Aspergers. But she's learning the magic of friendship, and she sends reports to Celestia about it.

 

But we tend to forget other things about her. Like, Twilight is actually a lot like Fluttershy in her kindness to animals. She took in Owlicious out of nowhere, look at how she nuzzles the bird

, and she was so very excited to wake up animals during the Winter Wrap-Up. Not to mention that apparently she used to love the heck out of "Smarty Pants", her doll. We tend to remember and overemphasize her bookworminess, tendency to obsess, scienciness and such so much we forget other things about her.

 

I mean, normally you'd think this kindness to animals is more "Fluttershy" than "Twilight", but actually it is "Twilight".

 

 

 

And here's something surprising, Rarity, the fashion pony of fabulosity -

 

 

might know calculus. I was really surprised, and I still wonder if dress-makers get around it somehow, but it seems almost impossible that dressmakers could work without differential calculus - using calculus to solve geometry problems involving curves. Want to know what I'm talking about? Try cutting a piece of paper that seamlessly and smoothly fits over any 3d object - a ball is best. It's surprisingly hard. Now imagine a complex shape like a Pony. Dressmakers have to cut sheets of material and fit it over a range of Pony "shapes", because not all ponies are the same, which makes it even more complicated!

 

I was thinking there might be guides to make it easier, but then I realized Rarity does some really complex shapes and extravagant things - nobody could've written a guide for doing the math to make those, except Rarity. And I thought for a minute, maybe trial and error? But that would be insanely expensive when working with expensive materials, which we know she uses sometimes from "Stare Master". I may be wrong, but it looks a lot like Rarity has a "Twilight" attribute - she, at least I suspect, knows higher mathematics very well!

 

(She does look pretty smart in her glasses and with a tape measure)

 

 

 

So I guess this thread is dedicated to those little surprising things we often forget about the characters due to their more obvious traits.

 

Comments, criticisms, or anything we'd normally not think of as canon - but is - about the characters is perfect for here!

[Xievie 498]

I think people forget the fact Fluttershy has learned how to be more assertive, and that Dashie learned more to not be such a jerk and less self-centered.

 

I think Putting your hoof down and Dragonshy made Fluttershy more assertive.

[hᴀrᴍoɴy 107]

Twilight could possibly love animals, but I doubt she loves animals as much as Fluttershy does. She might like them alot, but it was proven in "Winter Wrap Up" that she just isn't good with animals like Fluttershy is. I think this is because she might not have as much experience as Fluttershy does, and is always reading books. And yeah, she probably knows stuff like calculus. She is insanely smart after all.

 

As for Rarity, I agree that she does have share a few of Twilights traits when it comes it comes to both being OCD, for reasons that don't need to be explained. But I would say that Rarity is more OCD than Twilight, when it comes to dresses. But I wouldn't go as far to say that she knows calculus, it only takes basic math to make dresses. As they are both Unicorns, they share a few of the same traits.

[Bohtty 1,775]

I think your adding math to art. I doubt rarity does calculus to make her designs work. It's more of an art then a science. Just because the math exists in the subject doesn't mean it was solved to create it. When I draw a curve for a drawing, I promise you that I do not solve it. I am sure that, like lines and curves make up the bases for a drawing, there are similar core mechanics that dress makers use to make their dress.

 

As for twilight, she has an average affinity for animals. Many people love dogs and cats and pets, but not everyone loves them enough to become a vet. Fluttershy has many many many animals in her care. twilight has 1. All of the main 6 have a pet.

 

Recap: Rarity probably doesn't do calc to make her dresses

twilight's affinity for animals should not be mistaken with Fluttershy's affinity.

 

That and the show is mostly noncontiguous.

[Comet Tail 808]

Twilight could possibly love animals, but I doubt she loves animals as much as Fluttershy does. She might like them alot, but it was proven in "Winter Wrap Up" that she just isn't good with animals like Fluttershy is. I think this is because she might not have as much experience as Fluttershy does, and is always reading books. And yeah, she probably knows stuff like calculus. She is insanely smart after all.

 

As for Rarity, I agree that she does have share a few of Twilights traits when it comes it comes to both being OCD, for reasons that don't need to be explained. But I would say that Rarity is more OCD than Twilight, when it comes to dresses. But I wouldn't go as far to say that she knows calculus, it only takes basic math to make dresses. As they are both Unicorns, they share a few of the same traits.

 

Hah, I never thought of Rarity being OCD.

 

And yeah, I didn't mean as much as Fluttershy, but Twi does like animals at an above-average level, it would seem.

 

I think your adding math to art. I doubt rarity does calculus to make her designs work. It's more of an art then a science. Just because the math exists in the subject doesn't mean it was solved to create it. When I draw a curve for a drawing, I promise you that I do not solve it. I am sure that, like lines and curves make up the bases for a drawing, there are similar core mechanics that dress makers use to make their dress.

 

As for twilight, she has an average affinity for animals. Many people love dogs and cats and pets, but not everyone loves them enough to become a vet. Fluttershy has many many many animals in her care. twilight has 1. All of the main 6 have a pet.

 

Recap: Rarity probably doesn't do calc to make her dresses

twilight's affinity for animals should not be mistaken with Fluttershy's affinity.

 

That and the show is mostly noncontiguous.

 

But drawing is different than dress-making. Just take my example: try to cut a piece of paper to fit over a 3-d object. It's much, much harder than you think.

 

And to top it off, if you're off by even a little with a dress, then it's going to be very, very uncomfortable. And that would be an absolute disaster when your client is paying thousands of dollars bits for a top-of-the-line product, and you've put a huge amount of time in and used extremely expensive materials.

 

But she does have manniquins to test them on. I dunno, I'd have to see how real dressmakers do it to really be convinced either way.

 

But do remember, Rarity is a "high-class" unicorn, I wouldn't put education past her. After all, differential geometry only uses differential calculus, or at least I guess by it's name, and differential calculus is something you can learn in high school.

 

 

As for Twi, I still think she likes animals at an above-average level. I mean, compare what it took for RD to get a pet, to what Twilight did to get a pet. Her having a bird fly on her hoof an nuzzle it is a Cinderella moment with animals, that's Fluttershy-level stuff, almost, though I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say she likes animals nearly as much as Fluttershy.

 

 

And seriously... This is the Show Discussion Forum... "the show is mostly noncontiguous" does not belong here it actually shows a surprisingly large amount of continuity. RD reading in a later episode is just one example. And she really was meaner at the beginning of season 2, but got nicer after "Read and Weep".

 

I think people forget the fact Fluttershy has learned how to be more assertive, and that Dashie learned more to not be such a jerk and less self-centered.

 

I think Putting your hoof down and Dragonshy made Fluttershy more assertive.

 

Yeah, I have to admit, I didn't like Rainbow Dash for awhile up until "Read and Weep"

[Bohtty 1,775]

But drawing is different than dress-making. Just take my example: try to cut a piece of paper to fit over a 3-d object. It's much, much harder than you think.

 

xD they are *a lot* more similar than you think.

 

And to top it off, if you're off by even a little with a dress, then it's going to be very, very uncomfortable. And that would be an absolute disaster when your client is paying thousands of dollars bits for a top-of-the-line product, and you've put a huge amount of time in and used extremely expensive materials.

 

A) That's why they take measurements

It would only be uncomfortable if you needed a skin tight suit. I would have to say that majority of the clothing in the world does not fit skin tight and there is always some slack or room in a dress.

 

As for Twi, I still think she likes animals at an above-average level. I mean, compare what it took for RD to get a pet, to what Twilight did to get a pet.

 

Just because RD was more picky doesn't mean she doesn't like animals any less. Someone may like one animal but want something completely different for a pet.

 

To be honest I don't even know how you came up with the idea that Rarity would use more than just basic math in her dress making. Dress making is not that mechanical. If it was then there would be a program like CAD, but for dress making. If Rarity had to perform Calculus just to make 1 dress then she would never finish and the client would be even more angry.

Just because there are curves in a dress doesn't mean that she used math to make them work. She took basic measurements which I would assume is similar to those taken when getting a suit and used those to base her dress off. If they are off by half an inch, the customer likely wouldn't even notice.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Bohtty

[Comet Tail 808]

xD they are *a lot* more similar than you think.

 

 

A ) That's why they take measurements

B ) It would only be uncomfortable if you needed a skin tight suit. I would have to say that majority of the clothing in the world does not fit skin tight and there is always some slack or room in a dress.

 

 

Just because RD was more picky doesn't mean she doesn't like animals any less. Someone may like one animal but want something completely different for a pet.

 

To be honest I don't even know how you came up with the idea that Rarity would use more than just basic math in her dress making. Dress making is not that mechanical. If it was then there would be a program like CAD, but for dress making. If Rarity had to perform Calculus just to make 1 dress then she would never finish and the client would be even more angry.

Just because there are curves in a dress doesn't mean that she used math to make them work. She took basic measurements which I would assume is similar to those taken when getting a suit and used those to base her dress off. If they are off by half an inch, the customer likely wouldn't even notice.

 

CAD is used in engineering because systems can get extremely complex, and near impossible to adequately represent on a 2-D sheet due to all the different parts, mostly.

 

And yeah, I'll admit I'm not entirely sure Rarity uses math, but why are you so adamantly opposed to the idea? It's not like it takes a Ph.D or anything to use high school math - differential calculus - applied to geometry. Once you know it, it's really not that big of a deal to use it. It wouldn't be any more time consuming than basic math, except you'd be able to work with curves instead of being stuck with much rougher approximations.

 

But once again, I really don't think you realize how difficult it is to project a 2D surface over a 3D shape. Try making a cone out of paper, but you have to cut it so the bottom is flat, and the paper doesn't fold under itself, and the top of the cone goes straight up from the center of the bottom, not slanted at an angle. Oh, and you've got to get it right on the first cut, too. Try it, and you'll see where I got the idea she uses math.

 

Seriously, try it, it's the only way you'll see how hard it is, and why she'd need math; because math can easily create a solution if you know how to use it.

 

It's like engineering. It's different because it's design is based off of form, not function, but it's the same principle thing: take an idea and turn it into reality. You'll quickly learn that making a dress is infinitely harder than drawing one, and that what sounds simple to make, you'll quickly learn is much, much harder than you ever anticipated.

 

Now, get a pair of scissors, a notecard, and try to make that cone on the first try. And keep trying as much as you like, but remember these rules; a dress-maker must get the shape close to perfect, so so should you:

 

1. Any wasted material is wasted money, which could spell doom for your business. You've got to turn a profit, and enough to keep the boutique open, so waste as little as possible.

2. The shape must be a perfect cone. Let's say the height must be 2.2 times the radius of the base, exactly. And it can't be slanted. That line up to the peak must form a 90* angle with the base (otherwise that collar is going to be pressing down on the customer's neck the whole time!)

3. Once again, wasted material: it can't fold over itself, nor can it leave gaps, so it must meet itself near-perfectly.

 

It sounds a lot easier than it is, and you won't see it until you try it.

 

And if you somehow finally manage to do it, congradulations!

 

Now try making this shape:

 

(And trust me, if you try using simple geometrics like cones and cylinders, it won't look right at all.)

 

Even if Rarity's not a genius in terms of higher math, she has to be an even much more impressive genius in terms of mentally projecting 2-D surfaces into 3-D shapes. I mean, look at the wavy thing on top! How do you even get it to stay like that???

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

Rainbow Dash actually seems to have a very good grasp at flight dynamics and aero-physics.

Even Fluttershy must have a pretty good brain just being a pegasus, seeing as both she and Rainbow Dash must internally comprehend lateral, horizontal and vertical vectors, roll, pitch, yaw and cal angles, angle of attack, airspeed, relative velocity, acceleration, altitude, pressure, frontal pressure, rate of climb, drag, induced drag, mark of projection, estimated position AND where she's going. No wonder they nickname her "Rainbow Crash".

Edited July 7, 2012 by Blue

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

We think of an adorkable bookworm, she has telescopes, she knows calculus, she at least has OCD, if not other things like Aspergers. But she's learning the magic of friendship, and she sends reports to Celestia about it.

 

To be honest? I highly doubt that the element of Magic has Aspergers syndrome. Aspergers is not only generally characterized by the difficulty in dealing with social interactions, but also a perceived lack of interest in dealing with anyone's emotions or feelings and the inablity to distinguish certain emotions from one another. Normally, you could stamp the autistic card on someone just like *that*, but Twilight's lack of interest in making friends in her early fillyhood was derived from her attention all put forth on studying magic, and you could say that Celestia was a huge inspiration (gotta impress the solar goddess who just so happens to be your mentor, right?), so she had to double her efforts in studying for Celestia's sake. After the pilot episode, Twilight has no problems at all dealing with huge crowds and maintaining her friendships with other ponies. Not only is she able to deduce solutions from problems of high emotional content (Return of Harmony), but she herself understands a whole lot about the consequences of putting forth certain emotions into play (A Canterlot Wedding - she had that outburst). As such, she begins to set forth her resolve and was ultimately successful in both cases.

 

The OCD one is a definite possibility, though. Her attitude in Lesson Zero and It's About Time would seem to make this blatant as she constantly and consistently attempts to make the situation at hand nothing less than perfect... it didn't matter if she was installing telescopes, recording down important events, or even disregarding the thought that she might have been overworking herself in both cases. The possibility of something being remotely out of place was not good enough for her in both cases, and she could not bring herself to take any sort of risk... even if she was perhaps Celestia's greatest student to ever grace the art of magic; an extremely talented unicorn that helped defeat both Nightmare Moon and Discord, and yet there she was, freaking out about being sent off to magic kindergarten because she missed a little "deadline" (which shouldn't have been there in the first place - problems arise when the time is perceived to be right). Needless to say, it's an irrational fear correlated to this kind of OCD.

 

 

Might I also point out that her lack of friends in her fillyhood allowed her to study all kinds of Equestrian science comprehensively, ranging from higher mathematics to magic itself - an art which she is now considered a master at.

 

She's always had it in her to be a good friend and mare, and could make them easily, no matter what her fillyhood proclaimed of her otherwise. The hard part was for Twilight to come to terms that she was indeed a good friend and needed friends just as much as the next person (albeit through a bit of a puzzle - the truth about the Elements and whatnot). After that, it was easy.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Iron Mare

[Bohtty 1,775]

Even if Rarity's not a genius in terms of higher math, she has to be an even much more impressive genius in terms of mentally projecting 2-D surfaces into 3-D shapes. I mean, look at the wavy thing on top! How do you even get it to stay like that???

 

People aren't made out of cones and spheres, they are made out of much more forgiving shapes. People don't wear skin tight dresses usually so they don't need it to fit around them perfectly. My mother used to make dresses, most of the time they were from patterns, but she would occasionally make dresses from scratch. All she used was a dress makers mannequin. I can promise you she doesn't know any calculus at all. Dress making with math is like Drawing with math. Yes it's possible to draw with math, but it's not common because it's much quicker and probably more aesthetically pleasing to do it without math.

 

I know how to get that wavy look in a cloth, but it's a bit hard to describe via a post. Basically it's one long piece of fabric that is sewed to itself to create that loop.

 

Also, if you watch Rarity make a dress, she wastes a lot of cloth.

 

The dress fabric can overlap, it doesn't have to be perfect at all.

 

Like I said. It would be illogical to use math in dress making just like it would be illogical to use math in drawing. (not including mechanical drawings. Dressmaking != mechanical drawing)

Edited July 7, 2012 by Bohtty

[FruitRiver 355]

I'd have to agree that I think Rarity has to know pretty good math.

 

Bohtty-I think you think it's TOO much like drawing. It is similar in many ways but completely different in so many ways too! Drawing is flat. You don't have to do some if the complex things you have to do in making dresses. Honestly I don't know much at all about making dresses, but ifs it's really similar to drawing I'd be better at it. I could never make a dress, and even though I'm not very good, I can draw much much better then I can make a dress! You dont NEED math to make a dress, but it won't turn out nearly as well as if you did!

She's not just putting fabric on the shape, it has to be the right height and width.

[Comet Tail 808]

To be honest? I highly doubt that the element of Magic has Aspergers syndrome. Aspergers is not only generally characterized by the difficulty in dealing with social interactions, but also a perceived lack of interest in dealing with anyone's emotions or feelings [...]

Meep. Nope. You right up until that last part. They actually have an increased tendency to be sympathetic. Sympathy means you feel sorry for someone else and want to help them, which is what Twili did in "Luna Eclipsed", Empathy means actually successfully understanding them, that's what they have trouble with, due to issues understanding body language, hints, intonation, etc. That happened quiet a bit in "Look Before You Sleep".

 

But it's also possible for the higher-functioning cases to learn these things and get along just fine in many situations.

 

Read the article I linked in the bit you quoted from me. The TvTropes "Useful Notes". There's lots of misunderstanding and a ton of popular misconception.

 

[...]and the inablity to distinguish certain emotions from one another. Normally, you could stamp the autistic card on someone just like *that*, but Twilight's lack of interest in making friends in her early fillyhood was derived from her attention all put forth on studying magic, and you could say that Celestia was a huge inspiration (gotta impress the solar goddess who just so happens to be your mentor, right?), so she had to double her efforts in studying for Celestia's sake. [...]

Only if it's not that high-functioning. It's a spectrum disorder, which means theoretically you could fall in-between *quiet obvious* and *can't even tell*. It's not diagnosed in the U.S. in those cases because there's no reason for it if it doesn't impair their lives. Not to mention I've read about many cases where people went a very long time without getting diagnosed, in higher-functioning cases, it can be very, very far from stamping the card on them like *that*. In fact, lots of the time it gets mistaken as other problems, like OCD and ADHD or mild Schizophrenia, and results in a misdiagnosis that makes the problem worse.

(Once again, real Schizophrenia is very different from "common knowledge". It, too, is spectrum, and might only result in bipolar and OCD - like symptoms, and only show hallucinations

or never at all.)

And I have a source for that, too.

 

And I still think that'd be quiet an absurd amount of study for someone that young for anything other than an obsession.

 

[...]After the pilot episode, Twilight has no problems at all dealing with huge crowds and maintaining her friendships with other ponies. Not only is she able to deduce solutions from problems of high emotional content (Return of Harmony), but she herself understands a whole lot about the consequences of putting forth certain emotions into play (A Canterlot Wedding - she had that outburst). As such, she begins to set forth her resolve and was ultimately successful in both cases.

Aspergers doesn't mean she'd be totally oblivious to the existence of emotions, or even their impact. As for her friends - really she was very lucky - it's more like they pushed themselves on her. If you'll recall, their friendships formed from the adventure they had defeating Nightmare Moon, and Twilight even tried to get them not to follow her, tried to brush them off again and again, and even cringed every time they said "friend", and especially when Applejack said; "You're practically already part of the family!".

 

I mean, just re-watch that first part. She turned down a party with friends voluntarily, studying The Elements of Harmony wasn't an assignment, she could've easily gone to Moondancer's party, and she didn't find out about the time limit until after she turned down the party. She could've easily gone. She ignores Lyra's wave altogether, and when she approaches Applejack she's way too formal (another sign) and she wants to get it over with (uncomfortable in social situations - like avoiding the party).

 

Also, check this out, though I do feel the need to make some corrections;

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpvQ6UQ4pKQ

 

0:50 - long lectures about their subject of interest - that's a huge sign.

Making obscure references nobody else gets is also a big sign, which is what her Starswirl the Bearded costume is.

 

The OCD one is a definite possibility, though. Her attitude in Lesson Zero and It's About Time would seem to make this blatant as she constantly and consistently attempts to make the situation at hand nothing less than perfect... it didn't matter if she was installing telescopes, recording down important events, or even disregarding the thought that she might have been overworking herself in both cases. The possibility of something being remotely out of place was not good enough for her in both cases, and she could not bring herself to take any sort of risk... even if she was perhaps Celestia's greatest student to ever grace the art of magic; an extremely talented unicorn that helped defeat both Nightmare Moon and Discord, and yet there she was, freaking out about being sent off to magic kindergarten because she missed a little "deadline" (which shouldn't have been there in the first place - problems arise when the time is perceived to be right). Needless to say, it's an irrational fear correlated to this kind of OCD.

 

[image snipped]

 

"Something out of place" driving her crazy is actually a sign for both OCD and Aspergers. Problems often come in packages, and OCD, Aspies, and that high-order Schizo I mentioned earlier in this post, my guess is they're mistaken for eachother because they're neurologically linked, and it would be no surprise if, if Twili has it, it is coupled with OCD. But I don't think the OCD explanation even handles her going totally bonkers over it.

 

But, what would fully explain that, is that I can also imagine that the letters have become quiet an obsession to her, because they encompass almost her entire life. She's probably come to feel like those letters are one of the most important things there are, so she went bonkers when she couldn't come up with one.

 

The OCD, Schizo and anxiety would explain why she went into such wild speculation. Like I said, these things come in packages, I've read form psychologists, and so having more than one isn't any less likely than having one in the first place.

 

Might I also point out that her lack of friends in her fillyhood allowed her to study all kinds of Equestrian science comprehensively, ranging from higher mathematics to magic itself - an art which she is now considered a master at.

 

She's always had it in her to be a good friend and mare, and could make them easily, no matter what her fillyhood proclaimed of her otherwise. The hard part was for Twilight to come to terms that she was indeed a good friend and needed friends just as much as the next person (albeit through a bit of a puzzle - the truth about the Elements and whatnot). After that, it was easy.

 

Once again, you've got aspergers very wrong. It doesn't mean they don't need friends, or are bad friends, it means they have trouble making friends, due to 1. problems with understanding body language and 2. their obsessions. The second part is just perfect textbook aspergers for Twilight. The first - it's hard to judge through the medium of animation, since you can't really tell if body language seems forced or not in the animation, but Twilight's smart, and even if it doesn't come naturally to her, she's probably learned through experience how to interact pretty well, which is very possible.

 

I hope I'm not being offensive to accuse you of this - but I think you've got the mental condition all wrong. A higher-functioning case of aspergers wouldn't make Twilight any different, she wants friends, she values her friendships, she's learning about friendship, she didn't used to have friends, and as she learns about friendship she's becoming better at making new friends.

 

Maybe you can say social skills, but she would rather study than hang out with friends in the first episode, and downright ignored a friendly greeting. Either she's uncomfortable in social situations, or obsessed with magic, both of which point towards Aspie. She also hallucinated - that's canon, so at the very least she has a mild case of schizo (though I admit I'm no expert and there may be other conditions that can cause hallucinations), and certainly she has OCD and anxiety.

 

Adding aspergers in there just makes a lot more sense than leaving it out, IMO.

 

Once again, I want to stress this shouldn't change how you view Twilight. Just because she has obsessions and social problems doesn't mean she's any different from the Twilight you know.

 

[...] My mother used to make dresses, most of the time they were from patterns, but she would occasionally make dresses from scratch. All she used was a dress makers mannequin. I can promise you she doesn't know any calculus at all. [...]

 

Could've saved us both a lot of trouble if you'd just said that from the start.

 

Well, Rarity, I gave you credit for being smarter than you actually are. Grats. lol XD

(I should've known no drama queen could know calculus)

 

I'd have to agree that I think Rarity has to know pretty good math.

 

Bohtty-I think you think it's TOO much like drawing. It is similar in many ways but completely different in so many ways too! Drawing is flat. You don't have to do some if the complex things you have to do in making dresses. Honestly I don't know much at all about making dresses, but ifs it's really similar to drawing I'd be better at it. I could never make a dress, and even though I'm not very good, I can draw much much better then I can make a dress! You dont NEED math to make a dress, but it won't turn out nearly as well as if you did!

She's not just putting fabric on the shape, it has to be the right height and width.

 

Thanks. On a second wind, I'll add a bit to my reply to Bhotty:

 

I'm sure your mom made great dresses, but did she run a Boutique, and did big-name fashion models come to her for new lines?

 

It seems to me like it'd be something that life-devoted professionals would learn as a powerful tool, like Rarity.

[Radiance64 7,051]

~snip~

unappreciated fact- Rarity didn't make that dress, her friends did.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Once again, you've got aspergers very wrong. It doesn't mean they don't need friends, or are bad friends, it means they have trouble making friends, due to 1. problems with understanding body language and 2. their obsessions. The second part is just perfect textbook aspergers for Twilight. The first - it's hard to judge through the medium of animation, since you can't really tell if body language seems forced or not in the animation, but Twilight's smart, and even if it doesn't come naturally to her, she's probably learned through experience how to interact pretty well, which is very possible.

 

I hope I'm not being offensive to accuse you of this - but I think you've got the mental condition all wrong. A higher-functioning case of aspergers wouldn't make Twilight any different, she wants friends, she values her friendships, she's learning about friendship, she didn't used to have friends, and as she learns about friendship she's becoming better at making new friends.

 

Maybe you can say social skills, but she would rather study than hang out with friends in the first episode, and downright ignored a friendly greeting. Either she's uncomfortable in social situations, or obsessed with magic, both of which point towards Aspie. She also hallucinated - that's canon, so at the very least she has a mild case of schizo (though I admit I'm no expert and there may be other conditions that can cause hallucinations), and certainly she has OCD and anxiety.

 

Adding aspergers in there just makes a lot more sense than leaving it out, IMO.

 

Once again, I want to stress this shouldn't change how you view Twilight. Just because she has obsessions and social problems doesn't mean she's any different from the Twilight you know.

 

Thank you for correcting me, but the last bit of my post was to reference Twilight's innate talent for making friends and such, not to complement my argument that Twilight doesn't have aspergers, lol.

[Dragonshy 2,305]

I think people forget the fact Fluttershy has learned how to be more assertive, and that Dashie learned more to not be such a jerk and less self-centered.

 

I think Putting your hoof down and Dragonshy made Fluttershy more assertive.

 

I sure did.

 

Anyways, I think that you may of overthought it with Rarity's calculus skills. In the show it shows her drawing a picture with crayons and then making it with pieces of fabric with just about no thought.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Dragonshy

[Doctor XFizzle 8,651]

Pinkie Pie has super memory because she knows everyone's name, their birthday, and remembered that she saw the same item in Matilda's scrapbook a long time ago when she saw it in Cranky's

[Comet Tail 808]

unappreciated fact- Rarity didn't make that dress, her friends did.

 

She still snipped the material, she just hadn't finished it. Fluttershy just sowed it together. The episode starts with her almost finished with it

 

Thank you for correcting me, but the last bit of my post was to reference Twilight's innate talent for making friends and such, not to complement my argument that Twilight doesn't have aspergers, lol.

 

Woah. What were those first five words?

 

Such grace and maturity I have not seen in a long time! You're welcome!

 

And lol, okay, makes more sense now. I was like, does this guy think aspies don't feel a need for friends?

(But also I know that many might have lost their eagerness for social interaction because of bad memories of social interactions gone sour, "turning an extrovert-at-heart into an introvert", as it's been written.)

 

And I just remembered, I've been in a church setting a few times when someone with Aspies has spoken to very large groups, so they can do that (The south seems to be richly abundant in people with all kinds of mental issues)

 

 

 

I sure did.

 

Anyways, I think that you may of overthought it with Rarity's calculus skills. In the show it shows her drawing a picture with crayons and then making it with pieces of fabric with just about no thought.

 

I really don't know anymore, lol. It's all speculation, anyways. But whatever the case she had to put a lot of thought into it first, whether or not there was hard math involved.

[Solar Wind 595]

I think people forget the fact Fluttershy has learned how to be more assertive, and that Dashie learned more to not be such a jerk and less self-centered.

 

I think Putting your hoof down and Dragonshy made Fluttershy more assertive.

 

Putting your hoof down was terrible ! It totally ruined what Fluttershy is. She may have been a pushover but she had all her friends.

Like when Gilda yelled at her, Pinkie pie AND Rainbow dash both helped Her and that is what she is all about

When you have friends as great as hers assertiveness is not the most important thing.

Best Fluttershy episode = Hurricane Fluttershy.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

And lol, okay, makes more sense now. I was like, does this guy think aspies don't feel a need for friends?

 

 

Maybe you can say social skills, but she would rather study than hang out with friends in the first episode, and downright ignored a friendly greeting. Either she's uncomfortable in social situations, or obsessed with magic, both of which point towards Aspie. She also hallucinated - that's canon, so at the very least she has a mild case of schizo (though I admit I'm no expert and there may be other conditions that can cause hallucinations), and certainly she has OCD and anxiety.

 

Sorry about misunderstanding, but the 2nd quote is what I was trying to get at. However, I honestly don't think the lack of social skills would immediately constitute into her having aspergers. When you're as secluded as Twilight was in her fillyhood, you are prone to being a tad socially awkward, don't you think? As you've said, she turned down invites to go Moondancer's party, and didn't participate a lot in the party thrown for her in Ponyville.

[Comet Tail 808]

Sorry about misunderstanding, but the 2nd quote is what I was trying to get at. However, I honestly don't think the lack of social skills would immediately constitute into her having aspergers. When you're as secluded as Twilight was in her fillyhood, you are prone to being a tad socially awkward, don't you think? As you've said, she turned down invites to go Moondancer's party, and didn't participate a lot in the party thrown for her in Ponyville.

 

Continue here: http://mlpforums.com/topic/23558-mental-health-twilight-sparkle/

 

But for this post, no, a lack of social skills by itself wouldn't, but see the thread I posted. She fit the diagnosis criteria with room to spare.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

Applejack also would have some under-appreciated facts.

 

Agriculture is a lot more complex and difficult than almost any person on this forum will admit.

 

Rootstocks, pollination, maturation, picking (bucking), storage, diseases and pests are all in-depth sciences that pertain to just apples. That's not considering the vegetable garden that's on Sweet Apple Acres, the sheep yard, the pigs, chickens, cattle, corn and wheat. All of those also have very convoluted demands upon a work schedule every hour of every day. I'm surprised Applejack and Big Macintosh even have the spare time to set up a sale stand in town.

[Comet Tail 808]

Applejack also would have some under-appreciated facts.

 

Agriculture is a lot more complex and difficult than almost any person on this forum will admit.

 

Rootstocks, pollination, maturation, picking (bucking), storage, diseases and pests are all in-depth sciences that pertain to just apples. That's not considering the vegetable garden that's on Sweet Apple Acres, the sheep yard, the pigs, chickens, cattle, corn and wheat. All of those also have very convoluted demands upon a work schedule every hour of every day. I'm surprised Applejack and Big Macintosh even have the spare time to set up a sale stand in town.

 

What do you think Applebloom does all day? Child labor laws don't exist in Equestria, and you can get around those if you're their legal guardians lol.

 

Which makes me wonder about AJ's parents again...

 

And reminds me of this comic

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was kinda OT... I'm gonna go read the Mane 6 parent's thread now

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

What do you think Applebloom does all day? Child labor laws don't exist in Equestria, and you can get around those if you're their legal guardians lol.

 

Which makes me wonder about AJ's parents again...

 

Well it's not really as much child labor as it is just being part of the family.

Your dad got you to mow the lawn when you were 10, right? (May not literally be true but you see the point.)

 

In regards to her parents, like how I assume the mane cast are all abstinent, I also assume the Apple family parents are alive, until otherwise stated by canon. (That way if they actually are shown to be deceased, then the logical response will be to mourn, instead of saying "Ha! I knew it!")