Does Rarity's characterization influence your opinion negatively?

[Something Floaty 1,334]

Rarity is not my favorite because Pinkie Pie is. This is my reasoning. 

[Felix 1,363]

The complaint I hear most often is that she's the most stereotypical out of all of them.

 

But personally I love Rarity. I must admit she's simply...fabulous!

 

 

But anyone who's been in my statuses knows that I now have chosen all six of them as my favorite. <3

Edited August 26, 2014 by Felix

[Mrain901 216]

Ok then. Ever seen Sleepless in Ponyville? I know it's a very small example (I wont pretend that it's a big thing) but still. And if you mention Manehatten or Dressed for Success... well, actually go ahead. They're good arguments, and much bigger than what I mentioned.

Also, her pride. The main problem with this is that it has barely - if at all - been addressed.

[WindShear 532]

The complaint I hear most often is that she's the most stereotypical out of all of them.

 

 

I have heard this complaint a lot too, but I just can't agree with it.

 

People seem to think that she is the stereotypical self-centered fashion pony, but really I don't see her has being self-centered at all.

 

Rarity is an artist, and she puts everything she has into her creations. She doesn't do this because she is selfish and wants riches and prestige, she does this because she wants to make the world a more beautiful place, and she wants to be the best that she can be.

 

If anything, Rarity is guilty of not being selfish enough. She constantly takes on more work than she can be reasonably be expected to complete, and even then she will always make time to help out her friends and family.

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

I am going to discuss some of the common complains and debunk the ones that are not true. 

 

1. She is a snob. 

 

A snob is someone who wants to be a member of high class AND does not associate with others of a lower class. Rarity is friends with ponies that are not high class. Applejack is low class, and they are best friends. Also, if Rarity did not associate with low class ponies, she would have chosen the Canterlot Elite and moved to Ponyville. Wanting to be high class does not make one a snob. Judging those and not wishing to associate with those of a lower class are snobs. 

 

2. She is not generous at all.

 

Ghostfacekiller39 has a blog listing a lot, and I listed a lot in this topic. Also, please know what generosity actually means before saying she's not generous at all.

 

3. She takes advantage of Spike.

 

If you watch Power Ponies and Equestria Games, you know Spike LIKES to help and do things for others. He has a problem refusing, though. You can tell it was difficult for him to refuse in "Inspiration Manifestaton."

 

4. She makes ponies do what she wants by charming them. 

 

You are saying they are forced to do those things as if they have no free will? You are basically saying Rarity has mind control skills. Do you realize how much more awesome you made her?

 

5. She is dramatic. 

 

So am I. I actually find her dramatic moments to be quite humorous. Pinkie Pie is also dramatic, by the way. 

 

6. She is too girly.

 

That is very sexist. Saying a reason you hate a character is because she is too girly is saying female is bad. Rarity is a mare. What is wrong with her being girly? I'm male, and I'm feminine. Besides, she can still fight. She is feminine but not weak. Actually, that is the lesson in A Dog and Pony Show. 

 

7. I don't relate to her. 

 

I am certain most Rarity fans do not dream of being high end fashion designers. I'm a lot like Rarity, but not every Rarity fan is. I don't relate to Rainbow Dash, but I don't dislike her because of that. 

 

8. She goes against her element. 

 

No other character ever went against their elements of harmony. Applejack never lied to Rarity when her mane turned green, Pinkie Pie did not become grumpy in Party of One, Rainbow Dash did not abandon Rarity and Pinkie Pie in The Last Roundup, Fluttershy was not mean in Putting Your Hoof Down, and Twilight was friendly and never messed up on a spell. (That is sarcasm if it was wasn't obvious.)

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

Ok then. Ever seen Sleepless in Ponyville? I know it's a very small example (I wont pretend that it's a big thing) but still. And if you mention Manehatten or Dressed for Success... well, actually go ahead. They're good arguments, and much bigger than what I mentioned.

Also, her pride. The main problem with this is that it has barely - if at all - been addressed.

I'm going to direct you to a series of blog posts I made about Rarity, and why she's my favorite pony. The first part gives many reasons why I personally like her, and why I think you should at least look at her a little more closely. The important thing to note is that I don't even begin to cover her generosity there, because her generosity is only one aspect of her character, and it gets a lot of attention and debate already.

 

If you're willing to at least consider what's good about her, please read them. You may not agree with everything, but perhaps you'll see why her fans are just so head over heels for her, and why we sometimes feel the need to defend her as vociferously as we can. Your choice, but if I may be so bold to say so, I think it's worth your time,  and maybe it'll even change your mind. Or not, that part is out of my hooves, as it were!  

 

Part 1 - Her good attributes

 

Part 2 - Her flaws

 

Part 3 - How she and the others interact

[Fractured 2,684]

I think aggrandizement is the proper word here, flanderization is more on the part of the people who create the show.
Anyways...
Step 1: take a character and pick a flaw(in this case, Rarity is soooo overdramatic sometimes). 
Step 2: Now, over time, completely focus on that trait and nothing else until you start to define your entire view of that character by it. (Geez, that pony is an attention whore.)
Step 3: Let your hatred of that particular trait overshadow everything else you know about that character. Learn to hate them by association. Ignore any of the other positive traits that character may have, but feel free to focus on more of the negative ones and start over from step 1. (Rarity's using Spike to get what she wants. Even though I saw her reward him,multiple times...well it's not good enough!)

As for me, I find that although I don't have any particular affinity for her,she's somehow number 2 out of my favorite Mane Six and number 3 out of all the characters based solely on what i've seen in the show. She's got more facets than a diamond.
She works as a fasionista, designing things for a living. Despite having magic, it's hard work; it's not odd for her to stay up nights. She does gem hunting t for her craft too, a potentially dangerous business.
She has her sister, Sweetie Belle, who she has to take care of and build a relationship with.
She somehow does this and can still be a goofball with her friends, and always has the time to meet Fluttershy for a spa treatment. She puts time and effort into creating nice things for them. She also never asks anything from them without giving back.
And yet, she still has time to be an element, as well! When the worlds in danger, she's there as well, kicking manticores in the face and just being a general badass, but still helping her friends when they need her.

Then there's perhaps what I love most about her, the patience. Rarity is as much an element of it as she is Generosity. Constantly, i'll see Rarity's life be seemingly ruined by something someone did to her, but she never whines or complains. Instead, she'll takes that situation and turns it into gold. If it's her friends that caused the problem, she'll always stand by them, even if it hurts her in the process(and it frequently does).  She's lost her patience a grand total of twice from memory, and both times she went through extraordinary lengths to resolve that situation, including missing out on gold at a fashion competition to find the friends that she wronged. In all respects, she's the best friend anypony could ask for.
And this is the short version, I left quite a bit out. Though she may not be my absolute favorite, I recognize an amazing character when I see one. Rarity gets all my love and respect.

[Obsidian Sky 14,004]

 

Also, her pride. The main problem with this is that it has barely - if at all - been addressed.

Her pride?

 

Whats wrong with that? You mean the pride the constantly puts behind her for her friends? Like when she plunges herself in mud for her little sister? When she makes a fashion show for her friends even though she KNOWS that it could very well ruin her career? When she stands up for her friends in front of the Canterlot elite?

 

She has much to be proud of, yes. Much she SHOULD be proud of. It is good to be proud of ones accomplishments!

 

And what about Rainbows pride? It's ok if she is proud, but Rarity is not allowed to?

[Mrain901 216]

Her pride?

 

Whats wrong with that? You mean the pride the constantly puts behind her for her friends? Like when she plunges herself in mud for her little sister? When she makes a fashion show for her friends even though she KNOWS that it could very well ruin her career? When she stands up for her friends in front of the Canterlot elite?

 

She has much to be proud of, yes. Much she SHOULD be proud of. It is good to be proud of ones accomplishments!

 

And what about Rainbows pride? It's ok if she is proud, but Rarity is not allowed to?

I did mean to mention Rainbow, dunno how I forgot.

[Jeric 46,850]

I did mean to mention Rainbow, dunno how I forgot.

It's funny because both characters have more in common than most people think.

 

[Guest]

I love Rarity. Tabitha does a remarkable job with her too, just hearing Rarity's voice/intonation is enough to make me laugh irrespective of the dialogue, no other pony manages that for me. For the criticisms about her not living up to her element, I've always thought she was one of the most representative actually, even more so than my best pony AJ (who should have had Loyalty and RD Honesty, but thats for another thread )

[Fractured 2,684]

It's funny because both characters have more in common than most people think.

 

Really? I find them to have the least in common out of the Mane Six, but I admit that i've never thought about it. How exactly are they similar?

[Jeric 46,850]

Really? I find them to have the least in common out of the Mane Six, but I admit that i've never thought about it. How exactly are they similar?

 

Well, for starters they are the only two characters who share a tangible personal dream.*  That is why I refer to them as Dreamers when breaking down each characters motivations and conflicts. They both are desperate to be acknowledged for their talents, and sometimes to the detriment of their ultimate concern (friends and family). Both have been willing to sacrifice that dream for their friends. Both feel that their talent is a large part of what defines them.

 

That is why I really would love to see a dual focus episode with them together.

 

*Twilight is a dreamer as well ... but hers is more abstract.

[Fractured 2,684]

Well, for starters they are the only two characters who share a tangible personal dream.*  That is why I refer to them as Dreamers when breaking down each characters motivations and conflicts. They both are desperate to be acknowledged for their talents, and sometimes to the detriment of their ultimate concern (friends and family). Both have been willing to sacrifice that dream for their friends. Both feel that their talent is a large part of what defines them.

 

That is why I really would love to see a dual focus episode with them together.

 

*Twilight is a dreamer as well ... but hers is more abstract.

Both of them also have the full potential to realize their dreams, but I don't think either of them really want to. Rainbow Dash could've been a full fledged Wonderbolt by now with her abilities. I think she's hesitant for the same reason she rejected the Shadowbolts: it would mean leaving her friends behind.

Rarity, too. She's impressed all of the big-wigs by now, and her Carousel has to be a massive success. Moving to Canterlot would be way more beneficial for her; she'd be rich, and would have more customers than she ever could in Ponyville. But she doesn't want to leave her friends either; she made it clear in Bridle Gossip that they mean more to her than anything the high class could offer her.

Hmmm... I think they can learn a lot from each other. I'd love to see them in an episode together.

[Banul 3,831]

Both of them also have the full potential to realize their dreams, but I don't think either of them really want to. Rainbow Dash could've been a full fledged Wonderbolt by now with her abilities. I think she's hesitant for the same reason she rejected the Shadowbolts: it would mean leaving her friends behind.

Rarity, too. She's impressed all of the big-wigs by now, and her Carousel has to be a massive success. Moving to Canterlot would be way more beneficial for her; she'd be rich, and would have more customers than she ever could in Ponyville. But she doesn't want to leave her friends either; she made it clear in Bridle Gossip that they mean more to her than anything the high class could offer her.

Hmmm... I think they can learn a lot from each other. I'd love to see them in an episode together.

I chalk that up to the writers not knowing what to do with those characters once their dreams are actually realized, rather than those characters not wanting that to happen.

 

I don't think Rarity really needs to move to Canterlot. She's been killing it with high profile clients right from Ponyville. A business trip now and then, and she's all set. As for Rainbow Dash, being a Wonderbolt will make her pretty busy. I don't think that's going to keep her away from her friends, though. She can travel wherever she wants, and do so at the speed of sound. She should have plenty of time to visit her friends.

[ScribbleSquabble 61]

From an analytical standpoint, a particular fault to her character is just how noticeable it is when she does something wrong. Don't get me wrong, each character has their faults and strengths, and each has slipped up on their own element. However, generosity isn't necessarily hard to portray: give of yourself without expecting anything in return. This was used incredibly well in Friendship is Magic Pt. 1+2 where she cuts off her tail to help a complete stranger. So when we see her go against it and instead conform to a "prissy pampered princess" mentality it's jarring. That's not to say generosity is easy; in comparison something like Honesty and Kindness are fairly simple gestures. Generosity is however, a selfless act: and when we see a selfless element behaving selfishly the contrast is hard not to notice.

 

Some examples:

1. Ticket Master: trying to persuade twilight to give her the ticket for a reason not including hanging with the pony who gave her the ticket (though let's be honest, all 5 of them did this).
2. COMPLETELY FORGETTING WHY SHE WAS IN CLOUDSDALE IN SONIC RAINBOOM (really?!).
3. Green isn't your color: (This one is a bit of a stretch, but funny when you think about it) Pushing Flutter Shy to do something she didn't want to do so she could later sell more designs by saying "my best friend is a famous model".
4. Sisterhooves Social: Even after she came to her realization she was being too hard on her sister, she still only want's do do things she want's to do instead of asking her sister.
5. Sweet and Elite: Do I even need to list it? It's the backdrop of the entire episode. She still got her epiphany at the end but if a friend of mine was pulling the same thing she did behind my back I'd be livid.
6. Secret of my Excess: Yes, spike gave her his birthday present, selflessly. Course it only happened after rarity showed a lot more than a fascination with that rock.
7. MMMystery on the Friendship Express: Yes, because taking a big bite out of your friend's cake which she is responsible for and probably slaved over because "you made it sound so good" is the most generous scenario I can think of! [implied sarcasm]
8. Crystal Empire 1 + 2: THERE ARE CRYSTAL PONIES?!?!
9. Sleepless in Ponyville: 2 words: Sweaty Belle.
10. Just For Sidekicks: Spike gives his Fire Ruby selflessly in Secret of My Excess, but she gives him a sliver of a ruby for babysitting her psychotic cat.
11. Rarity Takes Manehattan: The Sweatshop of Friendship... and guilt-trips.

Admittedly, the number of these do not outweigh the number of scenes of generosity, however as I stated before to see the element of generosity become selfish, not just with material things but also with her friends, it really is a stark contrast.

Edited August 27, 2014 by ScribbleSquabble

[Fractured 2,684]

From an analytical standpoint, a particular fault to her character is just how noticeable it is when she does something wrong. Don't get me wrong, each character has their faults and strengths, and each has slipped up on their own element. However, generosity isn't necessarily hard to portray: give of yourself without expecting anything in return. This was used incredibly well in Friendship is Magic Pt. 1+2 where she cuts off her tail to help a complete stranger. So when we see her go against it and instead conform to a "prissy pampered princess" mentality it's jarring. That's not to say generosity is easy; in comparison something like Honesty and Kindness are fairly simple gestures. Generosity is however, a selfless act: and when we see a selfless element behaving selfishly the contrast is hard not to notice.

 

Some examples:

1. Ticket Master: trying to persuade twilight to give her the ticket for a reason not including hanging with the pony who gave her the ticket (though let's be honest, all 5 of them did this).
2. COMPLETELY FORGETTING WHY SHE WAS IN CLOUDSDALE IN SONIC RAINBOOM (really?!).
3. Green isn't your color: (This one is a bit of a stretch, but funny when you think about it) Pushing Flutter Shy to do something she didn't want to do so she could later sell more designs by saying "my best friend is a famous model".
4. Sisterhooves Social: Even after she came to her realization she was being too hard on her sister, she still only want's do do things she want's to do instead of asking her sister.
5. Sweet and Elite: Do I even need to list it? It's the backdrop of the entire episode. She still got her epiphany at the end but if a friend of mine was pulling the same thing she did behind my back I'd be livid.
6. Secret of my Excess: Yes, spike gave her his birthday present, selflessly. Course it only happened after rarity showed a lot more than a fascination with that rock.
7. MMMystery on the Friendship Express: Yes, because taking a big bite out of your friend's cake which she is responsible for and probably slaved over because "you made it sound so good" is the most generous scenario I can think of! [implied sarcasm]
8. Crystal Empire 1 + 2: THERE ARE CRYSTAL PONIES?!?!
9. Sleepless in Ponyville: 2 words: Sweaty Belle.
10. Just For Sidekicks: Spike gives his Fire Ruby selflessly in Secret of My Excess, but she gives him a sliver of a ruby for babysitting her psychotic cat.
11. Rarity Takes Manehattan: The Sweatshop of Friendship... and guilt-trips.

Admittedly, the number of these do not outweigh the number of scenes of generosity, however as I stated before to see the element of generosity become selfish, not just with material things but also with her friends, it really is a stark contrast.

Some of these don't involve generosity at all. Others are just mistaken(The scene in Secret of My Excess was in Spike's mind, it happened before in A dog and Pony Show) But as for the rest of them...

It seems like you expect perfection from Miss Rarity. Unfortunately, generosity is merely something she exemplifies, not something she's compulsed to do. I think that, like the other elements, it adds a touch of humanity to her that's rather endearing. Or would you rather she be a fabulous walking accessory to the element of generosity,devoid of every ounce of character?

[ScribbleSquabble 61]

Some of these don't involve generosity at all. Others are just mistaken(The scene in Secret of My Excess was in Spike's mind, it happened before in A dog and Pony Show) But as for the rest of them...

It seems like you expect perfection from Miss Rarity. Unfortunately, generosity is merely something she exemplifies, not something she's compulsed to do. I think that, like the other elements, it adds a touch of humanity to her that's rather endearing. Or would you rather she be a fabulous walking accessory to the element of generosity,devoid of every ounce of character?

Actually, if you recall I never said anything about expectations. I was only giving a possible response to the question posed in the topic. Do any of these things matter to me in judging her overall character? Not really. All I did in that post was give examples to back my statement. Hell, rarity being selfish in Manehattan was a good thing; it showed her conflict with her element the way a good "key" episode should. Like it or not, those things did happen in the episodes (and rarities fascination with the jem wasn't just in the flashback, watch the episode again), and can be seen as selfish.

 

Also, incase it wasn't clear I laugh at what happens in those episodes more than anything. It's a cartoon about technicolor ponies, we (analysts included) watch it to have fun, am I right?

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

From an analytical standpoint, a particular fault to her character is just how noticeable it is when she does something wrong. Don't get me wrong, each character has their faults and strengths, and each has slipped up on their own element. However, generosity isn't necessarily hard to portray: give of yourself without expecting anything in return. This was used incredibly well in Friendship is Magic Pt. 1+2 where she cuts off her tail to help a complete stranger. So when we see her go against it and instead conform to a "prissy pampered princess" mentality it's jarring. That's not to say generosity is easy; in comparison something like Honesty and Kindness are fairly simple gestures. Generosity is however, a selfless act: and when we see a selfless element behaving selfishly the contrast is hard not to notice.

 

Some examples:

1. Ticket Master: trying to persuade twilight to give her the ticket for a reason not including hanging with the pony who gave her the ticket (though let's be honest, all 5 of them did this).
2. COMPLETELY FORGETTING WHY SHE WAS IN CLOUDSDALE IN SONIC RAINBOOM (really?!).
3. Green isn't your color: (This one is a bit of a stretch, but funny when you think about it) Pushing Flutter Shy to do something she didn't want to do so she could later sell more designs by saying "my best friend is a famous model".
4. Sisterhooves Social: Even after she came to her realization she was being too hard on her sister, she still only want's do do things she want's to do instead of asking her sister.
5. Sweet and Elite: Do I even need to list it? It's the backdrop of the entire episode. She still got her epiphany at the end but if a friend of mine was pulling the same thing she did behind my back I'd be livid.
6. Secret of my Excess: Yes, spike gave her his birthday present, selflessly. Course it only happened after rarity showed a lot more than a fascination with that rock.
7. MMMystery on the Friendship Express: Yes, because taking a big bite out of your friend's cake which she is responsible for and probably slaved over because "you made it sound so good" is the most generous scenario I can think of! [implied sarcasm]
8. Crystal Empire 1 + 2: THERE ARE CRYSTAL PONIES?!?!
9. Sleepless in Ponyville: 2 words: Sweaty Belle.
10. Just For Sidekicks: Spike gives his Fire Ruby selflessly in Secret of My Excess, but she gives him a sliver of a ruby for babysitting her psychotic cat.
11. Rarity Takes Manehattan: The Sweatshop of Friendship... and guilt-trips.

Admittedly, the number of these do not outweigh the number of scenes of generosity, however as I stated before to see the element of generosity become selfish, not just with material things but also with her friends, it really is a stark contrast.

Okay, I have some problems with some of these things.

 

2. Being suddenly adored and praised by everyone you meet would probably make you act out of your normal personality too. I know it would for me. Go read my Sonic Rainboom review on my blog if you want further elaboration on that point.

 

3. Rarity got absolutely nothing from Fluttershy's success. When she did try to sell a dress to someone who had come into the shop having heard Fluttershy was there, the only response she got was "never heard of you". She never once tried to associate herself with Fluttershy, and she could easily have done so right there. She didn't. She said, "Sorry, you just missed her," not "She's my friend so buy my stuff," or "She shops here all the time".

 

You've entirely misunderstood Rarity's motivation here: She pushed Fluttershy into the modelling because it was a great opportunity for FLUTTERSHY, not for herself.

Rarity: Oh, but you must, Fluttershy. Photo Finish wants to make you a star. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I know we were both hoping it would be my lifetime, but nonetheless you can't throw away this chance. You must do this for me. You must. You must! YOU MUST!

 

Although she says "You must do this for me," it's not that she wants to get something out of it for herself, she's basically saying, "Go be great instead of me".

She thought all through the episode that it was what Fluttershy wanted to do, and even worked against her own jealousy of it. Hell, that's being a pretty darn great and generous friend, if you swallow your jealousy so that someone else can shine. If you want to say her jealousy wasn't admirable, I'd agree, but it's not an example of going against her element, or trying to capitalize on Flutters' success. At most, it's her considering how she would have felt about success like that, rather than considering how Fluttershy would feel about it. And she learns from this: in Filli Vanilli, she knew exactly what Fluttershy was feeling, and respected her wishes. (Again, more in my review)

 

7. Yes, and of course, Rainbow Dash gets a pass on betraying her element of Loyalty in the same way, because... why, exactly? There was so much Kindness in Fluttershy when she also took a bite of the cake. [explicit sarcasm]

 

8. How is being excited about meeting Crystal Ponies bad, selfish or ungenerous?

 

9. You may have missed the fact that she was there in a place she didn't want to be, doing something she didn't want to do in the first place, for the SOLE REASON that it was what Sweetie Belle wanted. Thus showing that the lesson learned in Sisterhooves Social actually sank in and changed her for the better. Thanks for making me like Rarity even more!

 

10. That little ruby let the CMC buy a huge, industrial sized pet drier. It seems that it was worth more than its size suggested.

 

11. Give the poor mare a break... she'd just been betrayed by a pony whom she showed her generosity to, been on an emotional rollercoaster ride throughout the entire episode, and then had the friends she was relying on express a concern over missing a show that they never would even have had the opportunity to watch in the first place if not for her arranging it. Even though it wasn't intended as such, Rarity saw it as just another betrayal, due to her emotional state.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

From an analytical standpoint, a particular fault to her character is just how noticeable it is when she does something wrong. Don't get me wrong, each character has their faults and strengths, and each has slipped up on their own element. However, generosity isn't necessarily hard to portray: give of yourself without expecting anything in return. This was used incredibly well in Friendship is Magic Pt. 1+2 where she cuts off her tail to help a complete stranger. So when we see her go against it and instead conform to a "prissy pampered princess" mentality it's jarring. That's not to say generosity is easy; in comparison something like Honesty and Kindness are fairly simple gestures. Generosity is however, a selfless act: and when we see a selfless element behaving selfishly the contrast is hard not to notice.

 

Some examples:

1.  
2. Ticket Master: trying to persuade twilight to give her the ticket for a reason not including hanging with the pony who gave her the ticket (though let's be honest, all 5 of them did this).
3.  
4. COMPLETELY FORGETTING WHY SHE WAS IN CLOUDSDALE IN SONIC RAINBOOM (really?!).
5.  
6. Green isn't your color: (This one is a bit of a stretch, but funny when you think about it) Pushing Flutter Shy to do something she didn't want to do so she could later sell more designs by saying "my best friend is a famous model".
7.  
8. Sisterhooves Social: Even after she came to her realization she was being too hard on her sister, she still only want's do do things she want's to do instead of asking her sister.
9.  
10. Sweet and Elite: Do I even need to list it? It's the backdrop of the entire episode. She still got her epiphany at the end but if a friend of mine was pulling the same thing she did behind my back I'd be livid.
11.  
12. Secret of my Excess: Yes, spike gave her his birthday present, selflessly. Course it only happened after rarity showed a lot more than a fascination with that rock.
13.  
14. MMMystery on the Friendship Express: Yes, because taking a big bite out of your friend's cake which she is responsible for and probably slaved over because "you made it sound so good" is the most generous scenario I can think of! [implied sarcasm]
15.  
16. Crystal Empire 1 + 2: THERE ARE CRYSTAL PONIES?!?!
17.  
18. Sleepless in Ponyville: 2 words: Sweaty Belle.
19.  
20. Just For Sidekicks: Spike gives his Fire Ruby selflessly in Secret of My Excess, but she gives him a sliver of a ruby for babysitting her psychotic cat.
21.  
22. Rarity Takes Manehattan: The Sweatshop of Friendship... and guilt-trips.
23.  

Admittedly, the number of these do not outweigh the number of scenes of generosity, however as I stated before to see the element of generosity become selfish, not just with material things but also with her friends, it really is a stark contrast.

 

 

It's very disconcerting to see you call yourself an "Analyst" and make YT videos and then see you go around blaming Rarity and villainizing her for horribly trivial matters. I think you need to sit down and think about her character for a while, because you seem really intent on seeing the bad in her, which is a toxic mindset. 

 

For the most part, Sunny said a lot of what I was going to say, but I'll just fill in a few things I was going to say and he didn't. 

 

4. Don't forget that she had just done a whole bunch of things she didn't want to do in that race, which involved hiding in *mud* and running an entire race across that dirty old farm. As a matter of fact, that happened right before she said the spa line, but you don't seem to be taking any of that into account.

 

5. And what was that, might I ask? What exactly was she doing behind her friends back that was so evil?

 

Making new friends? Living out her dream?

 

All I saw her do wrong was the whole letter thing. It was said earlier in the episode that Rarity offered to make her the dress, and Twilight wasn't paying nor asking for it, so I don't see why you're going to be upset about that -especially considering she liked the final product. Other than that, you didn't list anything specific. If you were an analyst, you wouldn't be criticizing these characters and providing no evidence You're just assuming we all know what you're talking about and view Rarity as acting horribly evil in that episode...but really, all I saw her do *wrong* was lie to her friends in that letter

 

You're making it sound like she committed genocide, which is why I find it dangerous to have you around as an analyst after readomg this. Tptal objectivity may not be able to be achieved, but if you're going to market yourself on YouTube you should at least try not to be so bias. You seem to have no interest in that, unfortunately, which is scary. I'm no analyst, but I know enough about the show to know what you're saying is attempting to deconstruct a character rather than provide objective criticisms. Frightening, honestly

 

6. MA Larson, the writer of this episode,  said it himself - that didn't even happen. It was Spike just Ogling over her. Here's what he said:

 

 

I'm no analyst, but you've got a lot of kinks to work out in your assessment of the series, kid. Especially since, in that same episode, she was kidnapped by a dragon who'd easily be able to kill her and she still wouldn't give him ththe ruby because "her dear friend Spike gave it to her"

 

I'm really thinking that you should go meditate on not only Rarity's character and motivations, but the meaning of the show itself. Being an analyst and being so quick to demonize one character while excusing two other characters who did the exact same thing, like you did when discussing Rarity in MMMystery, really makes me question your skill as an analyst but is also wanting me to tell people to stay away from your channel because you're trying to lead them astray from what REALLY happened. 

 

You really need to pay attention to the show more and stop being so brutally bias against Rarity's character That'll only hurt you in the long run. 

Actually, if you recall I never said anything about expectations

I have a feeling me and you are going to be seeing each other a lot.

 

Anyway, just because you never directly said anything about it doesn't mean it's not true. It's really hard to see it any other way, actually, with the criticisms you provided us of her character. As in, I don't believe you when you say what I just quoted hard to believe. If you didn't expect perfection, WHY are you criticizing her for these things you're criticizing her for? Most of them are very silly, trivial, minor, AND can be disproved with surrounding circumstances, and only a couple of them, if only one, serves as a valid criticism because it's not so...nitpicky. I don't really care when someone nitpicks the show, but you're just nitpicking a character to make her look bad

 

That's...kind of underhanded and uncool, to be honest.

 

 

 

 Not really. All I did in that post was give examples to back my statement.

 

Not really.

 

 

 

1. Sweet and Elite: Do I even need to list it? It's the backdrop of the entire episode. She still got her epiphany at the end but if a friend of mine was pulling the same thing she did behind my back I'd be livid.

I actually had to sit and think to try and figure out what you were trying to say here...as in, what the criticism was. 

 

I spent like, 10 minutes rerunning everything that happened in that episode through my head, and, like pretty much everything else you criticized her for, it was only stuff you were blowing way out of proportion to make her look worse than she really is

 

 

 

Hell, rarity being selfish in Manehattan was a good thing; it showed her conflict with her element the way a good "key" episode should.

 

And yet you tried to use it to make her look like a total bitch I can't really say I'm buying this, man.

 

Was it wrong of her? Yes.

 

Did it help provide her character with development, maintain a sense of realism in the episode, and did she make up for her wrongs in ways that outweighed the initial wrongs?

 

Yes, yes, and yes.

 

 

I'm scratching my head at all of this...it really seems like the first post was TRYING to make her look bad while the second post was just a bunch of backpedaling in case someone like me or Sunny came along. That's what it seems like to me.

 

 

 

Like it or not, those things did happen in the episodes (and rarities fascination with the jem wasn't just in the flashback, watch the episode again), and can be seen as selfish.

 

 

S01E01: Friendship is Magic

 

Gives Twilight a free makeover after Rainbow Dash messed up her mane.

 

S01E02: Friendship Is Magic

 

Cuts off her tail to give a monster or something the missing half of his mustache.

 

S01E11: Winter Wrap Up

 

After Twilight did a horrible job making a nest, she spent all of her time trying to fix her friend's mistake, putting her horribly behind quota.

 

S01E14: Suited For Success

 

Made all of her friends dresses for the gala free of charge, and they kept complaining about how they looked and how they wanted them to look, which made her dresses look horrible in front of some huge name in the fashion business.

 

S01E16: Sonic Rainboom

 

When Twilight wanted to try out a new spell that she had never done before and warned it could have possible side effects if botched, Rarity readily subjects herself to the spell, so she can go cheer on Rainbow Dash at her flying competition.

 

S01E20: Green isn't Your Color

 

Keeps quiet about her jealousy of Fluttershy's newfound fame in the fashion business, something she had been trying to accomplish before the show even started. After Fluttershy stumbles and trips on the runway and the crowd turns against her, Rarity begins cheering to save her friend, despite feeling it should've been her making it big instead of Fluttershy.

 

S01E25: A Party of One

 

Purposely ruins her mane, which she's extremely proud of, in order to keep Pinkie's surprise party a secret.

 

S02E05: Sisterhooves Social

 

After making a mistake in the way she took care of her sister, she hid IN MUD in order to complete a race with her sister for forgiveness, when all and all, it was just siblings fighting over trivial matters, like EVERY siblings do.

 

S02E08: Mysterious Mare Do Well

 

Makes 4 costumes for her friends to wear in their mission of bringing a borderlining on narcissism Rainbow Dash back down to earth.

 

S02E09: Sweet & Elite

 

When it came down to it, she chose her unsophisticated Ponyville friends over the Canterlot Ponies, who she had dreamt of fitting in with.

 

S02E10: Secret of My Excess

 

Spares the feelings of a horny baby dragon who stole half of the city and kidnapped her, even going as far to kiss him on the cheek.

 

S02E14: The Last Roundup

 

Rides a damn whatever you call that thing all the way back to Ponyville with an extremely repetitive Pinkie Pie due to Rainbow Dash's negligence.

 

S02E19: Putting Your Hoof Down

 

Tries helping Fluttershy learn how to stand up for herself, and welcomes Fluttershy back after she attacks her dreams.

 

S02E21: Dragon Quest

 

Attempts to stand up for Spike when the other 5 laugh at his apron. Creates a huge costume so RD, Twilight and herself could follow him to make sure he was alright. Stands directly behind Rainbow Dash's flank the entire time they're hiding, without complaining. Prepares to fight dragons in yet another attempt to stand up for Spike.

 

S02E25: A Canterlot Wedding

 

Makes a ton a fricken' dresses for the wedding, free of charge.

 

S03E01: The Crystal Empire

 

In order to buy time for Twilight, makes a bunch of hats and shit out of hay and straws. Does a very good job at it, I might add.

 

S03E12: Games Ponies Play

 

Takes the extremely difficult job of preparing Cadence's mane in the intricate detail it had to be done in, with only 15 minutes of time left. Also does a good job.

 

(Note: Rarity got screwed in Season 3. I assure you Season 4 will be different.)

 

Equestria Girls:

 

Makes dressed for them to all wear to the dance free of charge. Helps clean up the gym so Twilight could when the crown that night, despite hating messes. After Sunset Playdough-Hair ruins Twilight's reputation, tries helping Twilight go incognito until it can be fixed. Share her idea and Wondercolt's costume with the rest to change Twilight's horrid reputation.

 

S04E03 - Castle Mane-ia

 

Heads to the Castle of the Two Sisters in order to restore ancient tapestries out of respect to art. She'd be giving her time, effort, and possibly money for needed supplies to restore something that's not hers for free.

 

S04E08 - Rarity Takes Manehattan

 

• Gave an extra large tip to the Bell Boy numerous times
• Gave her scarf to a cold stranger
• Gave a potential job that could've landed her in fame to Coco
• Helped fix the Taxi Driver's broken thing.
• Bought Spike a hot dog.
• Gave Suri pieces of her one of a kind fabric to use in her ensembles, despite Suri being her competition in the fashion contest.

S04E10 - Rainbow Falls

 

Made outfits for the Ponyville Relay team free of charge. Not talking about quality here - she took the time and effort to make the outfits and expected nothing in return.

 

S04E13 - Simple Ways

 

She accepted the job of organizing the community event, even though her job keeps her extremely busy and working constantly.

 

S04E14 - Filli Vanilli

 

Constantly performed with the Ponytones in order to help Fluttershy enjoy herself singing.

 

S04E17 - Somepony to Watch Over Me

 

Even though she doesn't make an appearance, Applejack says "Rarity is on her way over to watch y'all while I'm gone" - hence, took time out of her day to watch Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo when she didn't have to.

 

S04E18 - Maud Pie

 

Offered to help Maud with fashion and make her an ensemble - we know that in the end Maud just wanted a dirty dishrag, but Rarity was ready to make a whole outfit for free.

 

S04E19 - For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

 

Puts a celebrity client's order to the side in order to help make Sweetie Belle's dresses look nice.

 

S04E21 - Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

 

Made replicas of old Wonderbolts costumes in an attempt to help RD study for her test - participated in the reenactment of the Wonderbolts history in order to help RD study.

 

S04E23 - Inspiration Manifestation

 

Made that douchebag Puppteer a puppet booth free of charge. An entire fricken' puppet booth, for nothing in return.

 

From Vocabulary.com:

 

 

Generosity is a quality that's a lot like unselfishness — someone showing generosity is happy to give to or share time, money, food, or whatever with others.

 

Generosity is a quality — like honesty and patience — that we all probably wish we had more of. When you show generosity, you might give away things or money or put others before yourself. But generosity is about more than cash and stuff. When you're forgiving and gentle to people, you show generosity of spirit. If you give others help or credit, that shows generosity. The world would certainly be a better place if more people showed generosity to others.

 

Like it or not, not every one of the ponies lives up to their element all the time.

Like, you can actually see that here:

 

 

You're acting like none of the other ponies have their moments, and you're dead-set on crippling her with small, minor nitpicks that are not "outweighed" by her acts of generosity but flat out crushed. You failed to acknowledge most of these things in your criticisms of her character. Why is that? You're an analyst, you know

[Dattebayo 2,850]

By Luna's star-studded backside.

[Starlight Fan 538]

Hate Rarity? Never! Rarity has displayed her generosity so much over the series, yet someponies somehow never notice it.

[Guest]

 

S02E10: Secret of My Excess

 

Spares the feelings of a horny baby dragon who stole half of the city and kidnapped her, even going as far to kiss him on the cheek.

Whilst I loved reading the entirety of this post, this summary takes the biscuit I would love to have seen that in the Elements of Harmony guidebook instead of their generic synopsis

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Whilst I loved reading the entirety of this post, this summary takes the biscuit I would love to have seen that in the Elements of Harmony guidebook instead of their generic synopsis

Oh yeahh, I meant to take that part out because I had written it in as a joke the first time I wrote it way back in November 2013

 

[Guest]

Oh yeahh, I meant to take that part out because I had written it in as a joke the first time I wrote it way back in November 2013

 

No need to blush, I found it genuinely hilarious.

 

Another instance I'd like to add to the list might be apparent in 'Spike at your Service' , pretty generous of Rarity to put that monstrosity of a pie that Spike made in her mouth. I gained major respect for her even attempting to do that.